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The EAP Contract That Made Me Rethink My Entire Practice

By Dr. Simone Hartley, LCSW — Chicago, IL

I’ve been in private practice since 2016. The first four years I was paneled with three insurance companies. I billed through an EHR billing module, dealt with prior authorizations for anything beyond 12 sessions, and collected an average of $87 per 50-minute session after contractual write-offs.

I am a licensed clinical social worker with a doctoral degree. I was billing at rates that would embarrass a first-year practitioner in a different field.

In 2020 I went private pay. Then in 2021, a mid-size financial services company reached out about a corporate EAP-style contract: 8 sessions per employee per year, available to all 220 employees, billed monthly to HR for sessions used.

That one contract added approximately $3,800/month on average. And because it was direct billing to the company at my full private-pay rate — not reimbursement through a managed care EAP network at $65/session — it actually paid.

Building the invoice structure for that contract changed how I thought about every part of my billing.

The Private-Pay Session Invoice

Private-pay therapy sessions should generate an invoice with superbill capability for clients who want to seek out-of-network reimbursement.

Therapy Session — [Client Name] — [Date]:

Superbill for Out-of-Network Reimbursement

Superbill — [Client Name] — [Date of Service]:

“This superbill is for client insurance reimbursement documentation. It does not constitute a claim submission to any health insurer.”

Many private-pay therapy clients have commercial insurance with out-of-network mental health benefits. A superbill allows them to submit for partial reimbursement. I generate it automatically in InvoiceFlow at every session.

Common Mental Health CPT Codes

Telehealth sessions: add modifier 95 and note place of service as 02.

Package Invoices

Invoice Flow app invoice editor of a private-practice therapist — four dated 50-minute psychotherapy sessions on one statement with NPI, license and CPT reference
Four dated sessions, NPI, license, CPT — everything the insurer's claim form asks for.

I don’t offer packages in the traditional sense — therapy doesn’t work on a session-count model the way fitness does. But I do offer prepaid intensive programs for specific interventions.

Intensive Program — [Client Name] — [Date]:

These are structured short-term treatment programs, not open-ended packages. The invoice documents what’s included, the timeline, and the payment structure.

Corporate EAP-Style Contracts

Direct corporate contracts — bypassing managed care EAP networks — pay significantly more per session and give clinicians control over treatment approach and session limits.

Corporate Employee Assistance Services — [Company Name] — [Month Year]:

Billing Period: [Month Year] Services provided:

Remit to: Dr. Simone Hartley, LCSW | EIN: [XX-XXXXXXX] PO Number: [PO-####] Payment Terms: Net-30 W-9 on file

Confidentiality note (include on every corporate invoice): “Session content is confidential. This invoice reports session count only. No clinical information is shared with the employer.”

This note is not just ethical practice — it protects your clients and your clinical relationship. HR should know utilization numbers, not clinical content. Including this note preemptively addresses the concern before HR asks.

Sliding Scale and Reduced Fee Documentation

Invoice Flow app recurring invoices of a therapist — weekly-therapy monthly statements and biweekly sliding-scale teletherapy billing
One statement a month instead of an invoice every session — billing stays out of the room.

For clients on reduced fees, I document the arrangement clearly:

Reduced Fee Agreement — [Client Name] — [Date]:

Documenting the reduced fee protects both parties. If a client disputes a charge later, the signed agreement is the record.

Group Therapy Billing

Invoice Flow app analytics of a therapy practice — year-to-date collected income and monthly revenue trend for quarterly tax estimates
The practice's year in numbers — quarterly estimates stop being guesswork.

Groups require separate session invoices per participant.

Group Therapy Session — [Client Name] — [Date]:

Each participant gets their own invoice with their own CPT code and diagnosis. Never put multiple participants on one invoice — each client’s session is a separate billable service.

Workshop and Training Invoices

I periodically offer CEU workshops for other clinicians and corporate mental health training.

Workshop Invoice — [Organization / Individual] — [Date]:

Six Years Private Pay

Current monthly revenue:

At $87/session through insurance, this revenue would require approximately 300 sessions per month. I’m at approximately 80 clinical hours per month.

Download InvoiceFlow. Build your session + superbill template with CPT and ICD-10 fields. Add EIN and confidentiality note to your corporate template. Generate a superbill at every session — your clients have out-of-network benefits they’re not using.

Dr. Simone Hartley is a licensed clinical social worker in Chicago, Illinois, with a private practice serving individual clients, corporate EAP accounts, group therapy, and clinical supervision.