Which mental health software is right for you: Mentaya, Thrizer, Reimbursify, or Advekit?
There's so many mental health platforms out there for billing but are they worth it? and if so, which one is right for you? Here we'll cover the differences between the four most popular options: Mentaya, Thrizer, Reimbursify and Advekit (for both therapists and patients).
Written by
Mor Goldberger, MFT, MBA
Published on
December 1, 2023
With all the mental health platforms out there, it's no wonder people struggle to understand what they even do, let alone evaluate which could be right for them. In this article, we will explain what "third-party billing platforms for mental health" are and we'll cover the differences between the four most popular options: Mentaya, Thrizer, Reimbursify and Advekit.
Key Takeaways
Third-party billing platforms simplify the superbill process and make private pay therapy accessible for clients.
Therapy clients use these platforms to save money on private pay therapy (therapy where insurance is not accepted) and to avoid having to deal with insurance or submit claims themselves.
Therapists use these platforms to retain more private pay clients, earn a better living, and protect themselves from time-intensive insurance hassles.
The four most common companies in this space are Mentaya, Thrizer, Reimbursify, and Advekit.
They differ in several key areas: cost to the therapist, cost to the patient, access to benefits calculations, price transparency, and additional features.
If you're looking for a platform that is free for therapists and guarantees successful submission for therapy clients, the clear front-runner is Mentaya.
What is a third-party billing platform for mental health providers?
In plain English: companies like Mentaya, Thrizer, Advekit, and Reimbursify get therapy patients reimbursed for therapy even when their therapist doesn't accept their insurance. The idea is that neither the therapist nor the patient has to lift a finger.
Clients like to use them because while they can technically get therapy reimbursements by using superbills provided by their therapists to submit their own claims, the reality is that they rarely do. Private pay clients cite several reasons why they might prefer using a billing platform (see the next section: "Using a billing platform vs. doing it yourself").
Mental health professionals use third-party platforms...
...as a premium service for their clients to make therapy more accessible.
...to increase patient engagement: reimbursed clients are less likely to terminate or reduce the frequency of therapy.
...to reduce time spent on administrative tasks and focus on providing high-quality therapy.
How it works:
Typically the platforms first confirm that clients have "out-of-network benefits", which just means that the client's specific insurance plan covers out-of-network mental health services (therapy for which the therapist doesn't accept insurance).
Then, the platform collects required information from the mental health professionals and their clients through the sign-up process.
Finally, the platform files mental health claims on behalf of clients with their insurance companies.
Follow-up: each company offers differing degrees of "concierge support", meaning they will track progress, follow up with the clients' insurance companies, troubleshoot errors, and resubmit mental health claims until they are accepted by insurance.
Using a billing platform vs. doing it yourself
Why clients like using third-party billing platforms
Private pay clients cite the level of difficulty and lack of transparency in the claims submission process as reasons why they do not submit claims themselves. We often hear some variation on the following:
"I'm at a loss as to where to even start to navigate this insurance superbill process... it's overwhelming."
"I think I know how to submit claims, but I've been putting it off... dealing with my insurance company is about as enjoyable as getting a cavity filled".
"I tried submitting a claim but I never heard back... I guess I've been ghosted!"
"I submitted a claim but it got denied and I have no idea why. Oh well, I tried."
Why therapists like partnering with third-party billing platforms
Some therapists assume that because they generate superbills for their clients, their clients are on track to submit mental claims and get reimbursed for therapy. They often say "my clients haven't complained about this... so it's working fine".
Therapists who check in with their clients about submitting superbills know that no news is not always good news. Therapists have shared the following insights regarding why they partner with Mentaya:
"I'm a trauma therapist. In order for me to provide the quality of therapy I needed to my clients there were certain things I needed to take off my plate... dealing with insurance was one of them. Before Mentaya I had to be on the phone with insurance companies for hours tracking down various things."
"Therapy is a big ask already. People come every week and find time in their busy day, pay money for it... therapy shouldn’t make their lives harder. If I can help on the financial end without taking on the burden myself it's [a] win-win."
"I wasn’t interested in hiring a biller that I would need to manage. I didn’t want to have to worry that I was billing the right amount. Didn’t want to worry that the copay or deductible amount was accurate."
"I have one client in particular who deals with perfectionism. I know how diligent she is and what her patterns are. She told me 'This is the fourth time I’ve submitted this and it keeps getting rejected'."
"The feedback from my clients is that [using Mentaya] has been completely seamless. They're getting acknowledged [by their insurance] within the week."
These therapists choose to partner with third-party billing platforms like Mentaya to set their clients up for success in getting reimbursed. Less financial burden on private pay clients means higher retention, higher earnings, and time saved for therapists.
How do Mentaya, Thrizer, Reimbursify and Advekit differ?
All four of these third-party billing platforms have one thing in common: they all offer a claims submission service. As a reminder, "claims submission" refers to the service of pulling the required information from therapists and clients to submit a claim to the client's insurance company in order to get the client reimbursed for out-of-network therapy. Below, we'll take a look at how each company differs as it relates to claims submission.
Table Example
Company
Therapist Cost
Client Cost
Benefits Calculator
Successful Submission Guarantee
Transparent Pricing
Mentaya
FREE
5% of session
✔
✔
✔
Advekit
$30/month + 12% session fee
FREE
❌
❌
❌
Reimbursify
Free or $99/month (for Pro account that covers cost of claims)
$3.99/claim or FREE (if therapist is on Pro)
✔
❌
✔
Thrizer
3% per session
5% per claim (Thrizer fronts the cost) or FREE
❌
❌
✔
Cost to therapist
Free of charge to therapists: Two of the four companies offer claims submission at no charge to therapists: Mentaya and Reimbursify. Note: both companies offer premium membership options but neither is required in order for clients to submit claims.
% fee per claim: Thrizer charges a 3% fee to therapists per session. This means that if a therapist charges $200/session, they will pay Thrizer $6/session. Note: in addition, their client may also be charged a fee (see next section).
Flat fee + % charge: Advekit charges a flat $30/month to therapists in addition to a 12% fee per claim. This means that if a therapist charges $200/session, they pay $24/session to Advekit.
Cost to client
Free of charge for clients: Advekit is the only platform that offers claims submission for free for clients. Note: this service is covered by the fee for therapists which is the largest across all four companies.
% of session cost: Mentaya and Thrizer charge clients a 5% fee. In other words, clients pay a $10 fee for a $200 session. Note: the way each company charges clients is different (see "pros and cons" section below)
Both Mentaya and Thrizer offer a "free for clients" option. Mentaya allows therapist to absorb the fee for their clients if they wish to offer claims submission as a complementary service. Clients often provide feedback that they are happy to pay this fee themselves because reimbursements far exceed it. Mentaya boasts a reimbursement rate of 62% of therapy costs on average after meeting clients' deductible. Thrizer offers the service free for clients pay in full and wait for reimbursement vs. only paying their co-pay.
Flat fee: Reimbursify charges clients a flat fee of $3.99 per claim. They also offer an option for therapists to cover the claims submission if they pay for a "pro" membership ($99/month).
Benefits calculators
Two mental health software platforms (Mentaya and Reimbursify) have what's called a benefits calculator. This is a tool through which you can instantly confirm someone's insurance benefits by simply entering the information from their insurance card. Here is an example of the Mentaya benefits calculator.
What this does for therapy clients
It enables clients to see exactly how much they are expected to pay for private pay therapy based on their insurance benefits. Most clients don't realize that the majority of plans have what's called "out-of-network" benefits, which means they can get reimbursed 50-80% of therapy costs even if their therapist doesn't accept insurance.
What this does for therapists
This tool enables therapists to sign-up more private pay clients. Rather than simply saying "No, I don't take insurance and I charge $200 per session," therapists can add, "HOWEVER, many clients have out-of-network benefits that can reimburse you for over 50% of therapy costs. If you have your insurance card handy I can let you know if you have them".
Benefits calculator cost
Two companies offer a benefits calculator: Reimbursify ($99/month) and Mentaya ($29/month). Both companies offer access to the benefits calculator as an add-on: as a therapist, you can still use the platforms to file claims at no cost.
What are the pros, cons, and key features of each billing platform?
Table Example
Company
Pros
Cons
Mentaya
Access to concierge support team - who troubleshoot & resubmit claims manually for clients as needed
If you want access to the benefits calculator it’s a $29/month subscription (this is optional; you can submit claims for free).
Advekit
Clients save up front, Advekit waits for reimbursement
Balance billing risk: If insurance reimburses less than expected, Advekit puts therapists & clients on the hook.
Reimbursify
Clients can upload a superbill without therapist involvement
Does not save clients time or effort. Clients manually submit each claim (same info and docs as insurance requires).
Thrizer
Clients save up front, Thrizer waits for reimbursement
Balance billing risk: If insurance reimburses less than expected, Advekit puts therapists & clients on the hook.
Summary
For mental health practices, finding the ideal practice management software is an important step toward providing exceptional care to clients. Now that you have a better understanding of what these platforms do and how they differ, it's time to try one out and see how it could uplevel your private practice.
Readers of this blog can try Mentaya's benefits calculator for 30 days free. Sign up here.
Mentaya is fully HIPAA compliant. No credit card required; plans can be canceled at any time.
FAQ
What is the best mental health software for billing ?
Mentaya is the clear front-runner. You want this team of insurance pros in your clients' corner. Mentaya's quality of customer support and persistence with insurance companies makes it an ideal option for any mental health practice.
Mentaya was designed by therapists for therapists and integrates seamlessly with therapists' existing processes and systems. Additional key features include:
It's mobile-ready: Mentaya offers an option to verify that sessions occurred via HIPAA-compliant text verification.
Mentaya can also text you following any recurring appointments to automatically file claims and collect automated patient payments.
Mentaya includes integrated scheduling (pulls appointments from your Google calendar to Mentaya's porta).
Mentaya offers a client portal (aka "patient portal") where clients can track the status of their submitted claims in real time.
Mentaya works with any EHR system and also offers its own simple EHR system (in beta) which supports appointment reminders.
Who are the main users of mental health software billers?
The patient (aka the "client")
The therapist (also referred to as "behavioral health professionals", "mental health providers", "mental health professionals" or "social workers"). This can include LCSWs, MFTs, psychiatrists, providers from specialty practices.
What do all of the platforms have in common (Mentaya, Reimbursify, Thrizer & Advekit)?
HIPAA compliance
Billing software (including payment processing and credit card processing)
Possibility of retaining more patients, improving patient care and patient outcomes
What services do third-party billing platforms NOT offer?
Telehealth services (video conferencing)
Appointment scheduling (aka booking calendar, online appointments, book appointments)
Patient management system
Electronic medical records (aka therapy notes, system for managing progress notes, treatment plans, prescription history or other patient records)
Live online chat
e prescribing
What type of mental health providers are ideal for third-party billing platforms?
Behavioral health practices who are looking to retain more private pay clients
Mental health professionals who are looking for greater control of their compensation (rather than being at the whim of insurance companies)
Any mental health practice that values financial accessibility for their clients
.png)
