You may encounter situations where a scheduled therapy session type, such as couples counseling or an initial evaluation, differs from the care needed or delivered during the appointment. This article provides guidance on how to manage and document such changes for seamless session operations and accurate insurance billing.

Proceed With the Scheduled Session

When the type of session (e.g., couples or individual) needs to change, complete the appointment as originally scheduled. There is no need to cancel or reschedule the session because of this discrepancy. For example, a couples therapy session can still serve individual counseling needs, provided the therapist offers individual therapy as an option.

Update the Session Type During Documentation

Therapy session notes provide an opportunity to correct any discrepancies in the session type. Instead of modifying the scheduled appointment ahead of time, providers can ensure the change is clearly documented as part of the session notes. For instance, if an appointment was booked as a couples session but only one individual attended, the session's notes should reflect it as an individual therapy session.