Auditing Antics: Navigating Medical Coding and Auditing

Summer can be one of the busiest times of year for healthcare coding, billing, auditing, and compliance professionals, making it easy to overlook the signs of burnout. In this episode of Auditing Antics, Stephanie and Michele discuss the realities of summer burnout in healthcare compliance and share affordable, practical ways to recharge without spending thousands on a vacation. From staycations and local adventures to setting boundaries, unplugging from work, and making time for yourself, we'll explore how small changes can have a big impact on your well-being, productivity, and long-term career success. #AuditingAntics #HealthcareCompliance #MedicalCoding #MedicalBilling #RevenueCycleManagement #HealthcareAudit #HealthcareConsulting #ComplianceProfessional #HealthcareLeadership #BurnoutPrevention #WorkLifeBalance #RevenueIntegrity #HealthcareOperations #MedicalAuditing #HealthcareEducation #HealthcarePodcast #CodingLife #ComplianceMatters #SummerBurnout #SelfCare

In this episode of Auditing Antics, Stephanie Allard and Michele Strickland discuss one of the most overlooked compliance resources in healthcare, the back of the CMS-1500 claim form. Every claim submitted includes certifications related to medical necessity, supervision, billing accuracy, and regulatory compliance, making it clear that compliance extends far beyond documentation. Join us as we explore how workflow failures involving telehealth, incident-to billing, credentialing, supervision, and revenue cycle processes can create audit risk even when the medical record appears complete, and why true compliance requires both strong documentation and operational controls.#AuditingAntics #HealthcareCompliance #MedicalCoding #MedicalBilling #RevenueCycleManagement #RCM #HealthcareAudit #CodingCompliance #ComplianceOfficer #HealthcareLeadership #PracticeManagement #RevenueIntegrity #DocumentationIntegrity #MedicalNecessity #IncidentToBilling #TelehealthCompliance #ProviderEnrollment #Credentialing #InternalAudit #HealthcareOperations #RiskManagement #ClaimsReview #ClaimsAuditing #MedicareCompliance #MedicaidCompliance #HealthcareConsulting #AuditReadiness #ProviderEducation #MedicalPracticeManagement #HealthcareAdministration #HealthcareRegulations #ComplianceTraining #FraudWasteAndAbuse #MedicalClaims #HealthcarePodcast #StephanieAllard #MicheleStrickland #AuditingAnticsPodcast

Telehealth has become a routine part of healthcare delivery, but one of the most important compliance requirements is often overlooked: location.In this episode of Auditing Antics, Stephanie and Michele discuss why the physical location of both the patient and the provider matters during a telehealth encounter. From state licensure requirements and payer policies to documentation expectations and audit risk, knowing where care is being delivered can have significant compliance implications.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept in healthcare. It is already impacting documentation, coding, auditing, revenue cycle operations, and compliance. The question is no longer whether AI will affect healthcare coding, but how quickly the industry will change and what professionals can do to prepare.In this episode of Auditing Antics, Stephanie Allard and Michele Strickland take an honest look at the realities of AI in healthcare coding. They discuss where AI is already being used, the opportunities and risks it creates, and why simply collecting credentials may not be enough to remain competitive in the years ahead.Join us as we explore how coders, auditors, consultants, and compliance professionals can adapt, build valuable skills, and position themselves for long term success in an evolving healthcare landscape. This is a practical conversation about career growth, professional relevance, and preparing for a future that is arriving faster than many realize.

For this episode of Auditing Antics, we are diving into one of the biggest misconceptions in the healthcare coding and compliance industry: credentials alone do not automatically advance your career. While certifications can open doors, true career growth often comes from how you apply your knowledge, build experience, develop professional relationships, and navigate opportunities throughout your journey.We will discuss how coders, auditors, and compliance professionals can strategically choose certifications that align with their goals instead of collecting credentials without direction. This episode explores the real-world impact of experience, mentorship, communication skills, specialty knowledge, leadership, and adaptability in an industry that continues to evolve rapidly. Whether you are new to healthcare coding or looking to expand into auditing, consulting, education, or leadership roles, this conversation will help you think beyond the letters after your name and focus on building a sustainable and meaningful career path.

As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close, this episode of Auditing Antics: Navigating Medical Coding and Auditing focuses on one of the most questioned areas in healthcare today: behavioral health documentation, billing, and audit risk. Stephanie and Michele answer real world questions surrounding psychotherapy documentation, E/M with therapy services, time based coding, telehealth requirements, medical necessity, and common behavioral health audit findings.The discussion also explores the growing compliance challenges organizations face when balancing insurance billing, self pay models, and increasing payer scrutiny. Whether you are a coder, auditor, provider, biller, compliance professional, or practice leader, this Q&A episode provides practical insight into reducing risk, improving documentation clarity, and supporting accurate reimbursement in behavioral health services.

In this episode of Auditing Antics, we break down the complex world of psychological and neuropsychological testing services from the perspective of documentation, coding accuracy, reimbursement, and compliance risk. We discuss the differences between psych and neuropsych testing, how time and testing components should be documented, common coding and billing mistakes, and the audit vulnerabilities organizations are facing with these high risk services. This episode also explores medical necessity, interpretation and reporting requirements, technician versus provider roles, and the growing scrutiny surrounding testing services by both commercial and government payers. Whether you are a provider, coder, auditor, biller, or compliance professional, this conversation highlights the areas that can quickly lead to denials, recoupments, and audit exposure if not properly supported in the documentation.

Psychotherapy services continue to be a major focus in behavioral health audits, payer reviews, and documentation denials. In this episode of Auditing Antics, we break down psychotherapy billing from an auditor’s perspective, including what documentation actually supports the service billed, how time based services are reviewed, and the common red flags that trigger denials and compliance concerns. We will discuss medical necessity, psychotherapy time requirements, add on codes, and the difference between psychotherapy documentation and E/M documentation. We also explore the growing conversation around whether practices should continue billing insurance or consider developing self pay models due to increasing audit pressure, reimbursement challenges, and administrative burden. Whether you are a provider, coder, auditor, or compliance professional, this episode focuses on the real world risks practices are facing and the steps that can help support cleaner claims, stronger documentation, and more sustainable practice operations.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) https://www.samhsa.gov/find-helpMay is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this episode of Auditing Antics focuses on the conversations our industry avoids. Medical coding, auditing, and compliance demand constant accuracy and productivity, but rarely address the mental toll behind that work. From audit pressure and denials to decision fatigue and burnout, many professionals are carrying more than they show while still expected to perform at a high level. If the work feels heavy, you are not alone. It is time to acknowledge it, talk about it, and start changing the conversation.

This episode takes a closer look at one of the most common and dangerous billing issues in healthcare operations: reporting services under the wrong provider’s NPI. What may seem like a simple administrative shortcut can quickly turn into a significant compliance problem when the documentation, supervision, credentialing, or actual rendering practitioner do not match the claim. In this episode, I break down why billing under the wrong provider creates exposure far beyond a claim correction, including audit risk, overpayment liability, false claim concerns, and payer scrutiny around who actually performed and supervised the service. I also walk through the operational habits that often lead to these errors, how organizations confuse billing rules with staffing convenience, and what practices should be reviewing now to make sure their claims accurately reflect the practitioner who performed the work.