Superbills for Insurance Reimbursement

How to create, send, and manage superbills for clients who submit out-of-network insurance reimbursement requests.

Superbills help clients request out-of-network reimbursement from their insurance plan. PracticeRunner can create a superbill from completed appointments, client demographics, diagnosis details, service codes, provider billing information, and recorded payments.

Superbills are different from invoices and CMS-1500 claim forms:

• Invoices request payment from a client or billing contact.
• Superbills document services and payments so the client can submit reimbursement paperwork to their insurer.
• CMS-1500 claim forms prepare a claim PDF for practices that need the standard insurance claim form format.

Before Creating Superbills

Check that the billing and clinical details are complete before creating a superbill:

1. Go to Settings -> Billing and confirm your practice billing details, tax ID, and invoice footer details are accurate.
2. Add provider billing identifiers where needed, including NPI, license, taxonomy, and provider tax ID or SSN if your practice uses provider-specific billing details.
3. Confirm the client's demographics and diagnosis information.
4. Confirm that appointment services have the correct CPT codes and fees.
5. Record any payments that should appear on the superbill.

Consultation cases do not use superbills by default. Consultation work usually uses invoices and receipts instead of psychotherapy reimbursement documents.

Creating a Superbill

To create a superbill manually:

1. Open the client's profile.
2. Go to the client's Billing section.
3. Choose the date range to include.
4. Click Create Superbill.

PracticeRunner includes completed sessions in the selected date range. Chargeable late-canceled sessions can still be invoiced, but they are not included on superbills.

After the superbill is created, you can review the document, download the PDF, email the client a link, regenerate the document if details changed, or delete it if it was created by mistake.

Monthly Superbill Automation

If a client is set to receive superbills, PracticeRunner checks for monthly superbills as part of billing automation.

For eligible prior-month appointments, PracticeRunner creates or updates one monthly superbill. If the superbill has not been sent before, PracticeRunner emails the client a link. If it was already sent, PracticeRunner updates the record without sending it again.

This lets practices support clients who regularly submit out-of-network reimbursement paperwork while keeping staff review available when needed.

What Clients Receive

When a superbill is sent, the client receives a link to view or download the superbill PDF. The PDF includes service and reimbursement details such as appointment dates, CPT codes, diagnosis pointers when available, provider information, paid amount, and billing details.

If secure portal messages are enabled, the superbill can be sent through the portal. If secure messages are off, PracticeRunner sends the email directly and keeps a copy in Conversations when supported.

When to Use CMS-1500 Instead

Use a superbill when the client is responsible for submitting reimbursement paperwork to their insurer.

Use a CMS-1500 claim export when the practice needs to prepare the standard insurance claim form PDF. CMS-1500 exports are available from invoices when claim forms are enabled in Settings -> Billing. See CMS-1500 Claim Form Exports for the claim form workflow.