Date

Applied Behavior Analysis Billing Tip: Getting 24j and Signatures Right

Who providers list in Field 24j (Rendering Provider ID) of the CMS-1500 claim form depends entirely on who delivered the service to the client:

  • Behavior Analyst/Assistant Behavior Analyst: Enter their own National Provider Identifier (NPI). Do not use the supervisor's NPI.
  • Provisional Licensees: Must be enrolled as providers and enter their own NPI in Field 24j. Do not use the supervisor's NPI.
  • Behavior Technicians (BT)/Registered Behavior Technicians (RBT): MHD does not enroll BTs/RBTs, so they should enter the supervisor’s NPI.
  • Solo Practitioners: If the provider is both the billing provider and the rendering provider, leave Field 24j blank.

Every session note must have the correct signatures to be valid. Here are some tips to follow:

  • The person who delivered the service must sign the session note. Billing staff may not sign on behalf of a provider. 
  • Supervisors cannot sign in place of the provider. A supervisor’s signature cannot replace the signature of the person who performed the session.
  • For BTs and RBTs, the note must be signed by the BT and RBT and co-signed by the licensed supervisor.
  • If providers use electronic record-keeping, they must securely authenticate the user and clearly indicate on the record that the signature and date were applied electronically.

If your documentation is missing, incomplete, or signed incorrectly, the MO HealthNet Division (MHD) may recover the funds the provider was paid (post-payment recoupment).

For questions, email MHD.BehavioralHealth@dss.mo.gov

For additional resources, refer to the Education and Training Resources page and/or sign up for a live webinar by accessing our Provider Training Calendar. Email MHD.Education@dss.mo.gov for more information.