Webinar Series
Legal and Clinical Essentials for Enforcing ABA Mandates, Ethical Billing, and Medical Necessity Documentation
Dan Unumb (Autism Legal Resource Center)
Tim Courtney (BrightKyte)
Date: February 9, 2022
Time: 12:00 PM Eastern
Abstract: In this presentation, Dan Unumb, Esq., and Dr. Tim Courtney, BCBA-D, will discuss the key reasons why BCBAs need to understand the laws governing third-party funding of ABA services. Dan and Tim have conducted numerous presentations throughout the country on issues related to accessing insurance funding for ABA services. This presentation highlights how not being aware of the law can reduce or delay service approvals and payments for services rendered. The presenters will also discuss potential blind spots for providers and how to avoid them. The presentation also discusses professional ethics considerations applying to medical necessity and documentation.
Instruction Level: Intermediate
Target Audience: BCBAs, ABA executives, administrative staff, billing staff, any staff involved in compliance, authorizations, denials, filing, or documentation processes.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) define mental health parity and describe how it is relevant to the medical necessity process; (2) identify two of the BACB ethics codes related to providing insurance funded ABA services; (3) identify at least two areas of risk for fraudulent or unethical service provision and billing practices.
1 BACB CEU available.
Biography: Dan Unumb is an attorney and founder of the Autism Legal Resource Center. Mr. Unumb previously served as the founding Executive Director of the Autism Speaks Legal Resource Center, where he worked to secure improved insurance and Medicaid coverage for individuals with autism in over 40 states. He has worked with federal and state regulators to secure improved guidance and enforcement on autism-related issues and has filed amicus briefs on autism legal issues in state and federal appeals courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He is co-author of the law school casebook “Autism and the Law” and has presented on legal topics pertaining to autism at numerous national conferences and trainings. Mr. Unumb is also co-founder of the Autism Academy of South Carolina, a treatment facility providing state-of-the-art care to children on the autism spectrum. He has served on the supporting board for the Greenwood Genetics Center and is a board member of Ascendigo, in Aspen, Colorado, which provides challenging recreational activities to children and adults with autism as well as community living support. Mr. Unumb has litigated cases in federal and state courts across the country in private practice in Boston, Washington, D.C., and Charleston and as an attorney with the United States Department of Justice.
Tim earned his doctorate in business administration from the Benedictine University in 2020 and his Master of Science in applied behavior analysis from the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in 2006. He became a board-certified behavior analyst that same year. He is a nationally recognized expert in proving the medical necessity of ABA intervention for individuals with autism and regularly gives workshops on this topic. Tim is actively involved in issues related to the practice of behavior analysis, such as the enforcement of insurance mandates, ethical billing, and medical necessity documentation. Tim is currently the managing director of BrightKyte, a billing and back-office company helping ABA providers thrive.
CE Package
This item is available to current ABAI members only.
Learning Center Video and Quiz