Problems of Substance Abuse Medical Billing
Co-occurrence of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
The co-occurring problem of mental health and substance abuse is more common than you think. According to the reports in the Journal of the American Medical Association, around 50% of people with severe mental disorders are substance abusers. About 37% of alcohol abusers and 53% of drug abusers have at least one severe illness. Of all the people with mental health issues, 29% are substance abusers. This co-occurrence of mental health and substance abuse is the root cause of problems of substance abuse medical billing.
When a mental health problem is untreated, substance abuse disorder can worsen. When substance abuse goes unchecked, it exacerbates the patient’s existing mental health conditions. The realization of the fact of the co-occurrence of both the conditions has led to a change in their diagnosis and treatment. Most substance abuse patients have an underlying cause of the mental disorder. In many cases, substance abuse patients start using drugs or alcohol to help them cope up with the remnants of trauma. In many cases, depression can be cause of someone taking drugs. As a result, treating a patient’s substance abuse disorder will leave the root cause intact i.e., mental diagnoses such as depression, anxiety, or past traumas.
Problems of Substance Abuse Medical Billing
Substance abuse care providers are finding it more challenging to get reimbursements from insurance companies. Insurance companies have policies that mostly consider substance abuse as a choice rather than a condition. Whereas mental disorder is something, the patient develops or is born with i.e., they are not at fault. So naturally, mental health patients get better reimbursements than patients of substance abuse. Substance abuse patients have to bear the burden of financial responsibility for the treatment. Rehabilitation centers are dealing with cash flow issues as there is an increase in the denial rate of reimbursements. Treatments for patients with only substance abuse issues and those with substance abuse and mental health problems can never be alike. Hence, their billing cannot be done in the same manner either. It is critically important for healthcare service providers to bill their patients appropriately.
Takeaway
If getting the right reimbursement for your treatments seems challenging to you, we can help. It is all about getting your billing in order, and that’s where we come in. With E2E Medical Billing Services, you can rise above the challenges given by the payer reimbursements. While you take care of your patients, we take care of your billing. We help you gather maximum private insurance reimbursements. For more information contact us at 888-552-1290/ info@e2emedicalbilling.com