Sorrel Solutions RCM

07/28/2026

📋 5 Documentation Tips Every Pediatric Behavioral Health Clinician Should Know

Strong documentation isn't about writing longer notes—it's about writing with purpose.

A recent AAPC article shared five practical ways clinicians can improve documentation while supporting compliance, continuity of care, and medical necessity:

✅ Write for the next provider. Document what you observed, why you chose an intervention, how the child responded, and the next steps.

✅ Tie every intervention to the treatment plan. Make it clear how today's work supports a specific treatment goal.

✅ Document caregiver involvement. Parent coaching, education, home strategies, and family stressors are all clinically meaningful and should be captured.

✅ Show progress—even when there isn't any. Small improvements, setbacks, or lack of progress all help demonstrate clinical reasoning and support treatment decisions.

✅ End with a clear plan. Replace "continue treatment" with specific, actionable next steps for the following visit.

The biggest takeaway? Good documentation tells the story of the patient's care. Clear, intentional notes not only support reimbursement and compliance but also improve communication across the care team and ultimately benefit the child.

What's one documentation habit that's made your notes stronger or more efficient?

07/09/2026

📚 AAP Pediatric Coding Newsletter – Why the Shift to "Faltering Weight"?

This month's AAP Coding Newsletter has produced an interesting topic regarding the long-time use of "failure to thrive" (FTT) in infants and children, and the shift to use a less polarizing term of "faltering weight."

So why the change?

The AAP recognizes that "failure to thrive" can be misleading and stigmatizing. It suggests a diagnosis rather than describing what's actually happening. In reality, many infants and young children with poor weight gain haven't "failed"—they're experiencing a change in their growth pattern that requires evaluation.

The term "faltering weight" is:
✔️ More descriptive of the child's growth trajectory.
✔️ Less judgmental for families.
✔️ Focused on identifying and addressing the underlying cause rather than labeling the child.

For coders and billers, however, there's an important reminder:

ICD-10-CM hasn't fully adopted this terminology. While providers may increasingly document "faltering weight" based on current AAP guidance, coding must still follow the ICD-10-CM code set and Official Coding Guidelines. Review the documentation carefully to determine whether the provider is describing:

- Poor weight gain without a definitive diagnosis
- Failure to thrive (when clinically supported and documented)
- An underlying medical, nutritional, or feeding disorder

As always, code what is documented—not what you think the provider meant—and don't hesitate to query when the documentation doesn't clearly support the diagnosis.

💬 Discussion: Are your providers beginning to document faltering weight instead of failure to thrive? If so, how is your practice handling the coding transition?

Send a message to learn more

06/17/2026

It's Webinar Wednesday!

In this industry things are forever changing. It's important to stay up to date with the latest codes, rule changes and anything else this industry throws at us.

Thank you American Medical Billing Association - AMBA for this week's webinar on Mental Health and Psychiatry Billing and Coding.

06/10/2026

Could your practice be undercoding newborn hospital services?

A recent American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) analysis found that many newborn encounters involving active medical management were being billed as routine newborn care rather than problem-oriented hospital E/M services.

The difference matters. Newborns requiring diagnostic evaluation, enhanced monitoring, or treatment for conditions such as hypoglycemia, hyperbilirubinemia, or infection-related concerns may qualify for higher-level hospital E/M coding when documentation supports the service provided.

While pediatric coding is often perceived as straightforward, it requires a deep understanding of clinical documentation, coding guidelines, and frequent regulatory updates. Small details can significantly impact both compliance and reimbursement. Staying current with coding changes and carefully evaluating each encounter ensures providers are accurately capturing the complexity of care delivered.

The initiative identified several opportunities to improve coding accuracy:

✔️ Educating providers on the distinction between normal and ill newborn care
✔️ Reviewing claims data to identify potential undercoding trends
✔️ Strengthening documentation practices
✔️ Updating EHR favorites lists and templates to include the full range of newborn E/M codes

For pediatric practices, ongoing coding education and periodic chart reviews aren't just best practices—they're essential tools for protecting revenue integrity while maintaining compliance.

05/27/2026

Sorrel Solutions is currently accepting new clients!

We specialize in supporting small practices in pediatrics, family medicine, and mental health with full revenue cycle management services tailored to your practice’s unique needs. With nearly a decade of experience, our goal is to provide dependable, personalized billing support that helps practices grow while reducing the stress of day-to-day billing operations.

We offer:
• Full RCM services
• Free consultations
• Competitive rates below many industry standards
• Flexible contracts with no long-term lock-in requirements

At Sorrel Solutions, we believe billing support should feel like a partnership — transparent, responsive, and built around helping your practice succeed. If you’re looking for experienced billing support with a more personal approach, we’d love to connect.

🌎 www.sorrelsolutionsrcm.com
📨[email protected]

05/12/2026

Today we celebrate the compassionate, dedicated professionals who support healing, growth, and resilience every single day.🩷

Happy Mental Health Provider Day to the therapists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, and mental health professionals who make a difference in the lives of so many. Your work matters, your care changes lives, and your commitment to mental wellness does not go unnoticed.

At Sorrel Solutions, we are proud to support the providers who support others. Thank you for all that you do, today and every day.

05/04/2026

Access to quality mental health care is essential, not just for individuals, but for families and communities as a whole. As demand continues to grow, making sure patients can receive consistent, accessible care matters more than ever.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and throughout the month we’ll be sharing a few insights around mental health services and the behind-the-scenes pieces that help support that care.

Mental Health care can be complex, but that doesn't mean your billing has to be. At it's core, it comes down to a few key pieces:
💁‍♀️ Who was seen (individual, family, or group)
🏠 Where the service took place (office, telehealth, school, or home)
⏰ How long the session lasted (for time-based psychotherapy codes)

Each of these factors plays a role in accurate coding, proper reimbursement, and keeping practices running in a way that supports patient care. It’s also important to note that not all services are time-based—like diagnostic evaluations—and certain situations, such as family involvement or crisis care, may require additional documentation.

Mental health care has come a long way in terms of access and coverage, but the details still matter when it comes to sustaining that care.

02/23/2026

Denial Spotlight – Week 2:
CO-29 (Timely Filing Limit Expired)

One of the most preventable denial reasons we see across all specialties is CO-29, indicating that a claim was submitted after the payer’s filing deadline.

Unlike many other denials, this one is often final — meaning missed deadlines can directly translate to lost revenue.

What typically leads to CO-29 denials?
• Claims sitting unbilled or in work queues too long
• Delays in correcting rejected or denied claims
• Inefficient follow-up processes
• Lack of visibility into payer-specific filing limits

Why it matters.
Timely filing denials are rarely recoverable. Even small workflow gaps can result in significant revenue loss over time.

Where to focus.
Strong front- and back-end processes are key:
✔ Monitor claim aging regularly
✔ Prioritize rejected and denied claims for timely resubmission
✔ Maintain clear, payer-specific filing limit guidelines
✔ Ensure accountability within your billing workflow

Consistency and visibility are critical to keeping claims moving and avoiding preventable write-offs.

02/16/2026

Today starts week 1 of our denial spotlight. Over the next ten weeks I'll be sharing the top 10 denial reasons for 2026, why they happen and the best way to prevent them.

Denial Spotlight - Week 1:
CO-16 — Missing or Invalid Information

One of the most common denial reasons across all payers is CO-16, which indicates that required information is either missing or incorrect on the claim.

This denial is often preventable — but it happens more frequently than you might expect.
What causes a CO-16 denial?
• Missing patient demographics (DOB, address, insurance ID)
• Invalid or incomplete diagnosis or procedure codes
• Missing modifiers when required
• Incomplete provider information
• Missing documentation or attachments

Even small errors at the front end can lead to delays, rework, and lost revenue on the back end.

Why it matters: CO-16 denials slow down your revenue cycle and increase administrative burden. The more time spent correcting avoidable errors, the longer it takes to get paid.

How to prevent it:
✔ Verify patient and insurance information before the visit
✔ Ensure coding is complete and accurate
✔ Use claim scrubbing tools to catch errors early
✔ Follow payer-specific requirements for documentation

Focusing on clean claims from the start is one of the most effective ways to reduce denials and keep cash flow consistent.

02/14/2026

📊 Common Medical Billing Denial Codes in 2026 — What They Mean & Why They Matter.

Claim denials continue to be one of the biggest disruptors to practice revenue. Understanding the most common denial codes in 2026 can help practices identify patterns, improve workflows, and reduce avoidable revenue loss.

Listed below is a list of the top ten denial codes and what they mean. Understanding your denial is the first step in correcting your claims for maximum revenue and ensure clean claims moving forward.

It’s also important to recognize the difference between:

✔️ Soft denials – Temporary issues (missing information, coding errors, modifier corrections) that can be fixed and resubmitted.
✔️ Hard denials – Permanent denials (timely filing expired, non-covered services) that often require appeal or write-off.

The takeaway? Denials are rarely random. They often point to workflow breakdowns in eligibility verification, coding review, documentation quality, or claim submission processes.

Tracking denial trends, auditing root causes, and implementing front-end safeguards can significantly reduce rework and improve overall revenue cycle performance.

Staying proactive in 2026 means understanding not just that a claim was denied — but why. Stay tuned over the next 10 weeks as we do a deep dive into each denial, why they matter and the best prevention methods.