Episode 602: Insurance, Documentation, and Audits - With Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey

Welcome solo and group practice owners! We are Liath Dalton and Evan Dumas, your co-hosts of Group Practice Tech.

In our latest episode, we chat with Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey of QA Prep about how the landscape of insurance and documentation has shifted over the last decade. 

We discuss:

• Risk adjustment audits and how they impact providers
• Billing codes and audit red flags
• AI documentation and how insurance companies are using AI
• Considerations when using AI for documentation
• Pressuring professional associations to advocate for clinicians and clients
• Our upcoming CE event on January 30th with Maelisa on how auditors think and why

Listen here: https://personcenteredtech.com/group/podcast/

For more, visit our website.

PCT Resources:

• PCT CE course: Dealing with Insurance: How Auditors Think and Why
  • a 3 CE credit hour training (including 1 legal-ethical CE hour) taught by Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey (QA Prep). This updated-and-expanded 2026 session demystifies medical necessity, clarifies what auditors and payers are actually looking for (and why), and helps clinicians document with more confidence and less stress. Expect real examples, sample notes reviewed together, and practical tools you can use immediately—covering informed consent language for clients using insurance, treatment planning that supports insurance requirements without sacrificing clinical judgment, and self-auditing techniques to spot red flags before anyone else does. Includes handouts/resources such as diagnosis justification statements, common treatment goals, progress statement formulas and examples, sample progress notes, and a client file review tool.
    • Live webinar presentation on January 30th, 2026
    • Registration for live training includes ownership of the on-demand self-study CE course produced from recording of live presentation — so you can get all the content *and* the CE, whether or not you can join live.
• Special Documentation, Insurance, and AI focused Office Hours and Group Practice Office Hours session with Dr. McCaffrey
  • In February, Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey will be hosting a Documentation-Focused Office Hours + Group Practice Office Hours session exclusively for PCT’s Practice Care Premium subscribers. This live (and recorded) Q&A is your opportunity to bring *your*  real-world questions about progress notes, documentation challenges, and insurance audits directly to one of the field’s leading documentation experts. Submit your questions in advance through your dashboard and get practical, case-specific guidance in a supportive, clinician-centered space.
• Take a look at all the courses in our Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey, PsyD collection:
  • Client-Centered Documentation: How To Write Ethical, Effective, And Efficient Progress Notes
  • Foundations Of Documentation: Intake, Diagnosis, And Treatment Plans
  • Modern Progress Notes: Considerations For Teletherapy, Insurance Audits, And Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Rethinking Notes: Strategies For Making Documentation Simple And Meaningful

 

• Group Practice Care Premium
  • weekly (live & recorded) direct support & consultation service, Group Practice Office Hours — including monthly session with therapist attorney Eric Ström, JD PhD LMHC
  • + assignable staff HIPAA Security Awareness: Bring Your Own Device training + access to Device Security Center with step-by-step device-specific tutorials & registration forms for securing and documenting all personally owned & practice-provided devices (for *all* team members at no per-person cost)
  • + assignable staff HIPAA Security Awareness: Remote Workspaces training for all team members + access to Remote Workspace Center with step-by-step tutorials & registration forms for securing and documenting Remote Workspaces (for *all* team members at no per-person cost) + more
• HIPAA Risk Analysis & Risk Mitigation Planning service for mental health group practices — care for your practice using our supportive, shame-free risk analysis and mitigation planning service. You’ll have your Risk Analysis done within 2 hours, performed by a PCT consultant, using a tool built specifically for mental health group practice, and a mitigation checklist to help you reduce your risks.