Mental Health and Psychiatry
Clinical care andpayer requirements,connected.
Circle supports teams across outpatient therapy, psychiatry, and higher-acuity mental health programs by linking payer requirements to treatment goals, delivered services, and supporting evidence. Documentation and quality review tools highlight what needs clarification before payer review or billing.
93%
Treatment plan timeliness as census grows
As reported by Circle customers
A complete note is not always a useful one. The record should explain the intervention, the client's response, and what that means for the next step in care.
Reimbursement structure
Outpatient evaluations, psychotherapy, and medication-management visits each need documentation that fits the service. Psychotherapy coding depends on documented psychotherapy time and other applicable requirements, and E/M with psychotherapy add-on services carry distinct rules. Higher-acuity programs need evidence supporting the intensity of care and ongoing treatment needs under the applicable coverage rules.
Relevant requirements and guidance
- LOCUS and CALOCUS-CASII, for programs that use them
- InterQual, MCG, and payer-specific criteria
- CMS psychotherapy time ranges
- The Joint Commission (TJC)
- CARF
- State licensing
What payers look for by encounter
- Diagnostic evaluation
- Presenting problem, history, mental status, risk, diagnostic impression, and recommended care
- Psychotherapy
- Documented psychotherapy time, intervention used, client response, and link to treatment goals
- Medication-management visit
- Symptoms, medication response and side effects, medical decision making, and plan changes
- Psychotherapy with E/M
- Separately identifiable E/M work and psychotherapy time documented on their own
Examples of documentation Circle checks before submission. Coding decisions depend on documented time, medical necessity, and payer-specific requirements.
How it works in your daily routine.
Outpatient note
The intervention, response, and documented time are clear
A scheduled hour does not always mean 53 minutes of psychotherapy. Circle checks that the documented time, intervention, and client response all support the service billed.
Progress note review
- Complete
Psychotherapy time
Documented time supports the code
- Review needed
Symptom measure
Score recorded, interpretation missing
- Complete
Link to treatment goals
Intervention tied to plan
- Not due yet
Clinician signature
Required before record entry
Built into every review.
Support the service billed
Psychotherapy time, medication management, and add-on services are each checked to make sure they meet code requirements.
Connect measures to treatment decisions
Recording a score is just the beginning. Circle checks how the clinician used that score to guide the treatment plan.
Explain the current level of care
Continued-stay reviews built from the full episode, organized around LOCUS and CALOCUS-CASII for the programs that use them.
Keep treatment plans current
Treatment plan reviews are visible before they become overdue, and goals are linked to the care provided.
Safety and encounter context
Risk, safety planning, and telehealth details such as client location checked as part of the encounter record.
Focus clinician feedback
Recurring findings are sent to the clinicians who need support, while allowing each note to keep its style.
What customers have measured.
93%
Treatment plan timeliness as census grows
As reported by Circle customers
100%
Chart review coverage
70%
Less time to a compliant note, expanding clinical capacity
As reported by Circle customers
Know what each payer expects. Act before revenue is at risk.
See how Circle fits alongside the systems already in place.
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