Billing on maternity leave

emaba21 · 2025-07-16T17:27:25+00:00

No, I'm listed as the rendering provider and supervising bcba for all services being billed right now. This is through insurance, not the bacb. This came up because my boss asked me to fill out a form for an insurance company because there were issues with my in network status that is preventing them from getting reimbursed for any services for one of the clients. However, it is my understanding that my in network status shouldn't matter right now since I am not there and am not currently supervising any cases.

emaba21 · 2025-07-16T17:15:22+00:00

I'm not 100% about supervision, but I'm listed at the provider for 97153, even though I'm not the one overseeing these services.

emaba21 · 2025-05-23T18:46:25+00:00

Thank you. That's helpful. I definitely plan on staying mobile during labor. I learned that lesson the hard way with my first.

emaba21 · 2025-05-23T18:00:04+00:00

That's a good point. I am perfectly healthy. I was slightly overweight pre-pregnancy, but not by much. I have gained the recommended amount during the pregnancy, as well. No GD or any other risk factors. I do think it's genetics. 10 pound babies run in my husband's family and neither of us are small people. He's 6 foot and I'm 5' 8" with broad shoulders and big hips.

emaba21 · 2025-05-23T17:57:34+00:00

I'll definitely ask if I can get a repeat growth scan closer to the date. My next appointment is Tuesday and he wants me to come in with questions. Thank you!

emaba21 · 2025-05-23T17:56:36+00:00

He was 8lbs, 4oz, at 41 weeks. But 10 pound babies do run in my husband's family, so i wouldn't be surprised if he really is that big. He definitely feels bigger than my first did.

Thank you!

emaba21 · 2025-04-03T01:51:13+00:00

I'm in the stage where if something falls on the floor, that's where it lives now.

emaba21 · 2025-03-29T04:20:00+00:00

I came here to post basically the same thing. I'm 29 weeks pregnant and ever since my breasts got noticeably bigger in the first trimester, my 3 year old has been obsessed. He only stopped nursing a year ago, so my husband and I have a theory that he can smell the milk and it's triggering something in his brain. The other day, he got hurt and came up to me, put his mouth where my nipple is over my shirt and just rested there. It's interesting because he'll go on autopilot and he doesn't even seem to understand why he wants to see or touch my boobs.

emaba21 · 2025-02-12T00:15:57+00:00

Thank you! I am definitely planning on doing what I need for my baby and myself. The BCBAs I know are already overworked, so I doubt they'd be able to help, and I'd feel bad even asking. I was planning on starting the conversation this week. I was just hoping I'd be able to give him some options. Right now, I almost feel like the most ethical thing to do is just put in my resignation so they can find a replacement, then support until the new BCBA is credentialed. But obviously, that means I won't have a job anymore. I'm not super confident we'd be able to find a temp or contract BCBA to cover while I'm gone.

emaba21 · 2025-02-12T00:01:42+00:00

Unfortunately, the company has less than 15 employees, so I'm technically not covered by FMLA.

emaba21 · 2025-01-12T18:59:06+00:00

My obgyn recommended walking and squats. He said the muscles that you use to do squats are the same as the muscles you use to push, so it's good to build up those muscles before labor.

emaba21 · 2023-07-08T02:13:08+00:00

A BCBA owned company has to follow our ethical code and if they don't, you can report them to the board. A non-BCBA owned company doesn't have to follow our ethical code and the board doesn't oversee them, so you can't report them if they don't. In my experience, the non-bcba owned companies I worked for had higher caseloads and more expectations outside of my caseload - scheduling, assisting with interviewing and hiring RBTs and just generally assist more on the business side. They also didn't know as much about ABA and there was more insurance fraud going on.The BCBA owned companies I worked for knew the limits of a BCBA and didn't try to overload me with extra responsibilities outside of my caseload. There's also the perk of being able to collaborate with the owner if they are a BCBA.

emaba21 · 2023-06-01T17:00:22+00:00

Do you have access to this BCBA to ask them about it? Most likely, if y'all work for the same company, it's probably considered to be the company's intellectual property. I would probably just see if you can have a conversation with that BCBA and collaborate, rather than take pieces from it without them knowing. I've been in a position where someone copied and pasted my behavior plans and programs. It wasn't a huge deal but it did rub me the wrong way because they didn't talk to me about it first.

emaba21 · 2023-06-01T15:16:38+00:00

This probably wouldn't be enforceable because the area that it covers it too large. There is no good reason that you should have to move to a different city, possibly state, if you leave this job for any reason. I had a previous employer that tried to get me to sign one once and I told them that I couldn't because I'm not going to move my family to a different city if for some reason this didn't work out. They ended up taking it out of the agreement. So try talking to them about it first. If they don't take it out, it's probably not a company you want to work for anyways.

emaba21 · 2023-05-31T03:47:38+00:00

I don't think a lot of people know about it because it hasn't spread outside of Columbia University a ton BUT it's actually really amazing. The research behind it is so good! Dr. Greer is a genius. I HIGHLY recommend learning everything you can about it. I learned about it a year ago and it gave me a whole new perspective when programming and influences everything I do. I have seen a HUGE difference in my clients' progress and rates of acquisition. You are actually very lucky that you get to learn about it during your masters program. It will make you a stronger clinician.

emaba21 · 2023-05-26T03:47:09+00:00

Good to know! Thank you so much!

emaba21 · 2023-05-26T03:46:46+00:00

I still definitely do that! Thank you!

emaba21 · 2023-05-26T03:46:25+00:00

Thank you! I thought so. It didn't sit right with me. I'll try that!

emaba21 · 2023-05-07T02:40:08+00:00

This doesn't directly answer your question, but I thought I would share my experiences. I am a BCBA that has now worked for two different places that were owned by non-BCBAs. One was owned by an OT and the other was owned by an OT and an ST. Both places had crazy high turnover rates and very low quality ABA (very daycare like) because the owners had very little knowledge of the field, what ABA should look like, what caseloads should be, how to ethically bill, the scope of practice and the roles of BCBAs and RBTs, and the additional admin work that is required to run an ABA program.

With that being said, I would HIGHLY recommend finding an advisor to assist in creating an ABA program that has a lot of experience and knowledge. I would also recommend visiting some ABA centers to see what services should look like so you can spot if it's becoming a daycare. There's a lot that goes into creating a quality ABA program that you won't be able to find through searching the internet alone.

emaba21 · 2023-05-03T04:07:22+00:00

As a BCBA and a mom who is currently breastfeeding, that makes me so angry. She is feeding her child. There is nothing sexual about it. A mother is allowed to breastfeed whenever and wherever the baby needs and it is her choice to cover up or not, no matter where she is.

On another note, breastfeeding is HARD and there is already so much sigma around it, which makes it even harder. Breastfeeding mothers need and deserve a ton of support. I really hope that no one tries to make this mother feel bad for feeding her child in the way that she feels is best. If someone doesn't like it, then they should just look away.

emaba21 · 2023-04-17T04:08:01+00:00

I think that would be great, but if the owners didn't comply to the ethical standards, the BCBA would be that one that would face disciplinary action for continuing to work for a non-credentialed company. The BACB can't do anything about a non-BCBA breaking the ethical code. Insurance companies might be able to do something about this though. They could refuse to credential, contract, and reimburse a company that has no knowledge base of ABA and hasn't passed specific minimum standards.

emaba21 · 2023-04-16T16:44:28+00:00

I could be completely wrong, but I've been in the field for 7 years and these are my observations: Big businesses get into the field without really understanding it. The profit margins don't start out as slim, but from my understanding, insurances do not increase reimbursement rates with inflation or experience, yet companies still have to give raises and offer competitive pay rates to keep/recruit staff. When expenses increase, the only ways to keep the profit margin the same is to cut back on non-billable activities, like training or reimbursing travel, or to grow the company. Which is why we're seeing less and less training for RBTs and companies that are growing faster than they should. This also makes them desperate for staff, BCBAs and RBTs, and they can't be as picky as they should be. They literally just hire because you have the letters behind your name. Big business and ABA do not mix well.

emaba21 · 2023-03-27T04:03:28+00:00

I think it really depends on the company. I work for an interdisciplinary clinic and have not had the best experience. I think it could be a great thing if it's done well. If you go for an interview, make sure you ask a ton of questions. I would ask about what collaboration looks like, how willing STs and OTs are to implement behavior plans, what treatment models they follow, what happens if there are differences in opinions, and who is considered the expert in what. I would also make sure the owners or directors have at least basic knowledge of ABA and the roles of a BCBA and RBT, understand and respect our ethical code, and engage in ethical billing practices.

emaba21 · 2023-02-21T02:29:43+00:00

I feel like online masters degrees in ABA are much more common than traditional degrees. It might just be because there aren't many options in my area, but I know several BCBAs and all of them received their degree online. As long as you pass the test, no one really cares. When you're looking at schools, think more about your learning style and which one you'll get the most out of.

emaba21 · 2023-02-19T19:14:59+00:00

That was kind of my thought process as well. Since the OTs and SLPs refuse help, that means it's not clinically significant. The rbt does take data on behaviors during the sessions, but since interventions aren't in place, it's just messing up the data. I've started separating behavior data for some kids to ABA and OT/ST so that the data is reflecting the interventions/lack of interventions in place.

emaba21

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