Stephanie Allard Consulting, LLC

09/17/2026

09/16/2026

Having such a great time at ASCENT 2026 with the Audigy team! It has been wonderful connecting in person, sharing ideas, and spending time with so many incredible people, including my friend Sean Weiss.

Conferences are always better when you can catch up with people you respect and enjoy being around!

09/15/2026

A payer sends your organization an audit request. Do you know which notes and supporting documents you need to pull to fully support every service billed?

The progress note may be only one piece of the record. Depending on the services under review, you may also need orders, test results, medication administration records, procedure notes, consent forms, supervision documentation, device data, or other supporting records.

Before submitting your response, confirm that the documentation supports every code, modifier, unit, provider, place of service, and date of service under review.

The goal is not to send the payer everything in the patient’s chart. The goal is to carefully review the request and submit the complete documentation needed to support the claims being audited.

What documents are included on your organization’s audit response checklist?

Need help preparing for or responding to a payer audit?

Contact me:
https://www.stephanieallardconsulting.com/contact

Explore my compliance consulting and auditing services:
https://www.stephanieallardconsulting.com/services

09/14/2026

Is your claim actually compliant before it goes out the door?

Claim compliance is about much more than selecting the right CPT code. A claim can look correct on the surface and still create risk when you start asking the right questions:

Is the correct billing provider being reported?
Does the documentation support the service billed?
Are the required notes, signatures, and supporting documentation present?
Were the correct modifiers, units, and place of service reported?
Were payer-specific billing requirements followed?

These details can quickly turn into denials, recoupments, audit findings, or larger compliance concerns when they are repeatedly overlooked.

One of the most important things an organization can do is look at its claims through the eyes of an auditor before the payer does.

Compliance should not begin when the audit letter arrives. It should be built into your coding, billing, documentation, credentialing, and revenue cycle processes from the beginning.

Need help identifying where your organization may have compliance vulnerabilities?

🔎 Reach out for compliance help:
https://www.stephanieallardconsulting.com/contact

💻 Learn more about our auditing, compliance, consulting, and education services:
https://www.stephanieallardconsulting.com/services

09/13/2026

🎂 Happy Birthday to me… but even more special, Happy Birthday to my little birthday twin, my grandson! 💙

Sharing my birthday with him makes this day so much sweeter. Of all the birthday gifts I could have ever received, getting a grandson who shares my birthday is pretty hard to beat!

Feeling incredibly grateful today for another year, another trip around the sun, and the very special little guy I get to celebrate it with. 🥳💙

Happy Birthday to US! 🎉🎂

09/11/2026

Advanced practitioners billing under their own NPI is not just a Medicare compliance issue. It matters for commercial insurance claims, too.

Some commercial payers have policies stating that they follow CMS guidelines for services performed by nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other advanced practice professionals. However, not every payer publishes a detailed policy.

The absence of a policy is not a green light to automatically bill every service under the physician’s NPI.

When the payer’s billing policy is unclear, you must examine its credentialing, enrollment, and provider contract requirements.

Consider:
• Is the advanced practitioner required to be separately credentialed and enrolled?
• Does the payer recognize incident-to billing?
• Must the rendering provider be identified on the claim?
• Does the payer’s contract restrict billing services under another provider’s NPI?
• Do state scope-of-practice and supervision requirements support the arrangement?
• Does the documentation show who actually performed the service?

Billing under the physician’s NPI solely because reimbursement may be higher can create inaccurate claims, overpayment exposure, recoupments, and potential compliance concerns.

No published policy does not mean no rules apply. The payer agreement, credentialing process, enrollment requirements, claim instructions, and applicable state law all matter.

Before billing services performed by an advanced practitioner under a physician, make sure the arrangement is supported by more than an internal workflow or an assumption that commercial payers “do not care.”

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Join the Coding Compliance Connection Membership.
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09/11/2026

September 11 has always felt personal to me, like so many other people I know. I grew up and lived in New York for most of my life, and although I was not in New York City, the impact reached far beyond the city limits. People in communities across the state lost loved ones, knew someone who was affected, or stepped forward to help however they could.

I still remember the fear, disbelief, confusion, and heartbreak we all felt that day. The world seemed to stop as we watched events unfold and tried to understand something that felt impossible to comprehend. We worried about family, friends, neighbors, and people we had never met.

But alongside the devastation, we also witnessed extraordinary courage, compassion, and unity. First responders ran toward danger, strangers helped one another, and communities came together without hesitation.

Today, I remember those who lost their lives, the families who continue to carry that loss, the survivors, and everyone who answered the call to help. September 11 touched all of us in one way or another, and we must never forget.

09/08/2026

Can a participating provider charge patients a concierge fee for administrative costs or priority access?

The answer may be no.

When providers sign participating agreements, they typically agree to accept the payer’s negotiated reimbursement for covered services, subject to the patient’s deductible, copayment, or coinsurance.

Charging an additional fee for scheduling, record maintenance, refill requests, routine communication, care coordination, or other administrative responsibilities may violate that agreement. These costs are generally part of operating the practice and providing covered care.

The risk becomes even greater when patients who pay the fee receive appointments, callbacks, or services before patients who do not. This can create unequal access to an in network provider and may conflict with contractual requirements related to member access, appointment availability, nondiscrimination, and patient financial responsibility.

Calling a fee voluntary, administrative, or concierge does not determine whether it is compliant. What matters is what the patient receives and what happens if the patient refuses to pay.

Concierge arrangements require careful review of payer agreements, Medicare requirements, state laws, and the services included in the fee before implementation.

Read the full article to learn why the details of these arrangements matter.
https://www.stephanieallardconsulting.com/articles/why-charging-participating-patients-a-concierge-fee-may-violate-a-providers-payer-agreement

09/07/2026

🇺🇸 Happy Labor Day to everyone who keeps healthcare moving!

Healthcare is built on the work of so many people. Physicians, nurses, medical coders, billers, compliance professionals, practice managers, administrators, therapists, support staff, and countless others all play a role in keeping our healthcare system running.

For my fellow medical coders and billers, your work may not always be visible to the patient, but it matters. Every code tells part of the patient's story, supports accurate reimbursement, and helps healthcare organizations continue providing care.

For those working in compliance, thank you for asking the difficult questions, identifying risks, educating others, and helping protect the integrity of our healthcare system.

And to the clinical teams providing care today while many others have the day off, thank you for being there for your patients.

Healthcare is complicated, and the work can be demanding. Today is a good opportunity to recognize all of the people behind it.

Wishing everyone across the healthcare industry a safe and well deserved Labor Day! 🇺🇸

09/06/2026

If you’re on TikTok… come find me over there too. 🔎📱

I’m sharing more of the things that don’t always make it into a LinkedIn post — quick compliance deep dives, real-world coding and auditing issues, “think like an auditor/consultant” tips, behind-the-scenes moments, and my take on what’s happening in healthcare.

Basically: less polished. More conversation. More of the WHY behind compliance.

👉 Follow me on TikTok (and find all my links here):
https://stephanieallardconsulting.canva.link/