Clinical Skills Confidence: How I Survive Medicaid Billing
Time for another Clinical Skills Confidence post! If you’re a school based SLP, the likelihood that you have to bill for Medicaid is pretty high. I’m sharing how I do it so that I don’t get super backed up and it’s not a really daunting task.
I enter data for all my students into our computer system, since more than half of my caseload has Medicaid anyway. I find it easier to do it this way rather than try to remember who is Medicaid and who isn’t.
First, I have a data binder.
I have tabs for Autism, Preschool, K, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5/6. Each student has their own log. I see mostly groups, but I just flip between logs. I know some people take group data on a separate form, but I file these logs in each student’s working file when it’s all filled up.
At the beginning of each day, I pull all the logs for the kids I will see that day and put them in order of when I see them. Then I put them on my trusty clipboard. I’m weird and I like clipboards with the big metal clip at the top.
As the day goes by, I take data as I see my groups. When the group is done, I put the logs on my desk. At lunch time, I log for the morning kids while eating my lunch. Yes, I know that’s not a real lunch time but it makes it easier on me later on in the day. Then I see my afternoon kids and do the same. At the end of the day, I log for the afternoon kids.
When I leave for the day, I have logged for that day. I repeat this pattern every day. This way, I don’t get backed up. I don’t have to spend whole days doing it later on. I don’t think I’d remember if I waited!
I realize I’m basically doing data twice. But when it comes time for progress reports, I like to have the paper log to flip to in order to calculate accuracy levels and what not rather than having to print it out from our computer system.
Again, this is just what works for ME! I’m finishing up my 4th year in this county and this is how I’ve done it since my first year here. In other districts/states that I’ve worked in, the procedures were a little different.
How do you stay on top of Medicaid billing without going nuts?
Medicaid is my least favorite! I do mine similarly to you though – I have individual logs and put them in the computer at the end of the day.We don’t have an online system for medicaid but I like to type them on the forms we use instead of hand writing it again.
Who has a “regular” lunch any more? I do the same thing, document at lunch. Thanks for sharing
I know, right?!! It gets the job done though!