Help Your Clients Get Reimbursed — With No Effort on Your Part!  

By Barbara Griswold, LMFT  (updated June 14, 2021)

Two years ago, I reported about a mobile app called Reimbursify, which helps clients get reimbursed by their insurance plans. It’s time for me to remind you of this amazing app. 

Every therapist needs to know about this app.  Whether you’ve chosen not to accept insurance at all or only are in-network with some plans, it is likely you give out superbills/invoices to clients.  If you don’t, maybe you should (read on….)

Some clients (those with PPO or POS plans) can often get some reimbursement even when they see Out-of-Network (OON) providers.  But many clients don’t know they have this benefit — which is why I feel we should ask and educate them about it.  If they do have this coverage, they may not know how or where to submit your superbill.  And busy, depressed or overwhelmed clients may never submit them.

While being an Out-of-Network provider is nice for therapists, clients may drop out of treatment as therapy expenses mount.  So, helping clients get reimbursed can not only help clients but increase your income.  But is there a way that it can be painless for both of you?  Yes!

Enter Reimbursify.  This mobile app is free to download, and allows clients to submit out-of-network superbills to any insurance plan from their smartphone in moments.  In an interview with Reimbursify Cofounder Vatsal G. Thakkar, M.D., he told me “this app came out of my own practice experience. I didn’t take insurance, and when it came to reimbursement I’d tell clients, ‘that’s between you and your insurance plan.’  But this didn’t feel right — they were paying in full out of pocket and were confused by insurance.  So, I began filing invoices for them.  While this actually attracted new clients to my practice, this was a lot of extra work for me. So, I envisioned a client-centered app, and Reimbursify was born.”

How does it work?  Clients pay you, then according to Thakkar, you can “simply hand your clients a Reimbursify information card with their superbill and say, ‘you can download this app and file a claim for reimbursement with your phone in about a minute.” Clients only need to answer a few questions, take a picture of the invoice, and click to submit the invoice claim.  It’s just like depositing checks using a phone app.  Another filing option is called File Fast, where clients can file invoices from your website.  The client will receive notifications when the invoice is received by the plan, and can track reimbursement status.

It can even prevent denials.  Thakkar states “incorrect diagnosis or CPT codes would be caught by the app. Since clients enter data, legibility issues aren’t a problem. And lost claims are a thing of the past since every Reimbursify submission comes with delivery confirmation.”

What if an invoice is rejected?   If an invoice is rejected, Reimbursify has a customer care team.  They may ask for a copy of the denial EOB and may even reach out to the plan, if needed.

Is it HIPAA-Compliant?  Reimbursify claims to “exceed all HIPAA security guidelines.”

How much does it cost?   There are three options:

• Basic Plan: No cost plan which optimizes your practice details and lets any client use the app. Each client gets one free claim-filing then pays a small fee for each session filed.
• Practice Plus: You pay a small fee each month, and your clients each get five sessions filed free, then pay a small fee per session
• Practice Pro: Pay a larger monthly fee, and all your clients can file unlimited sessions at no cost to them.
• To get an additional 25% off the above fees for the first year on the Plus or Pro plans, use the promo code GRISWOLD (in all caps) when you enroll (Note: I receive no reward for referring you).

Conclusion:  Though I haven’t used this service myself, Reimbursify states it has filed claims for hundreds of millions of dollars in provider fees, and many therapists swear by it.  Reimbursify seems to have found a way to help clients in a very meaningful way that doesn’t mean more work for therapists. The concept seems a terrific win-win to me.  Plus, it can be used by clients for all their other out-of-network healthcare providers. Helping clients get reimbursed for treatment can entice new clients to choose you, and can mean current clients can afford to stay longer.

Check out the Reimbursify plans here:  Reimbursify Practitioner Info