About the course
Insurance audits are one of the biggest stress points for outpatient clinicians, yet most providers were never taught how audits are triggered or what payers actually look for. Many “red flags” aren’t about fraud or suspicion. They come from patterns, documentation gaps, or codes that are commonly misused. This CE activity gives clinicians a clear, evidence-supported framework for understanding audit risk. You’ll learn which CPT codes draw the most scrutiny, which billing patterns identify you as an outlier, and the documentation standards auditors use to determine whether a service is supported. Designed as a focused, practical micro-course, it equips you with the reasoning skills needed to bill accurately, document defensibly, and reduce your audit exposure without undercoding. What you’ll do in this course:
Objective 1
Describe the CPT codes and billing patterns most commonly associated with payer audits.
Objective 2
Apply evidence-based documentation strategies that support time-based psychotherapy and complexity-based E/M codes.
Objective 3
Differentiate between defensible high-level codes and red-flag billing patterns that lead to outlier analysis.
Who Should Take This Course
Designed for: PMHNPs, NPs, PAs, MD/DOs, and mental-health clinicians seeking focused, real-world CE. Level: Intermediate No prerequisites.
Accreditation & Credit
Think Beyond Education is in the process of applying for accreditation as a provider of nursing continuing professional development through the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. This course is currently being offered as part of our pilot and review process. CE credit will be available once accreditation is approved and this activity is formally released.
Michael Van Gelder MS, MN, PMHNP-BC
Michael is a psychiatric nurse practitioner, educator, and CE provider focused on practical, high-clarity clinical reasoning for frontline mental-health clinicians. He combines evidence-based frameworks with real-world experience from outpatient and telepsychiatry settings.
To receive CE credit, learners must:
1. Review all course content/modules 2. Complete the post-test with a passing score of 80% or higher 3. Submit the required course evaluation 4. Download and retain the CE certificate for professional records
FAQ
Q: How long do I have access to the course? A: Learners have lifetime access. Q: Do I need to complete everything at once? A: No. Modules and post-test can be completed at your own pace. Q: How do I receive my certificate? A: Immediately after passing the post-test and completing the evaluation. Q: Are refunds available? A: Refunds are not offered for digital CE products.
Ready to learn something actually useful for real-world practice?
Enroll below to start the course.