If you run a cash-pay or out-of-network practice, you probably hand out superbills. You probably also know how that often goes. The patient means to submit it. The claim form asks for codes they don't recognize. The insurer asks for more information, or denies it, and the superbill ends up in a drawer.
From the patient's side, your fee now feels like the full price, even when their plan would have paid back a real share of it. So what looks like paperwork is really a pricing problem. It shapes how expensive you feel, and whether people stay.
The fix starts with one question most practices never answer on purpose: who does the claim work?
There are only three options
1. The patient files it. You hand over a superbill and they do the rest. It costs you nothing and costs them time. It works for organized patients with simple plans.
2. The patient files it, with help. An app turns the superbill into a submitted claim. Reimbursify's free Basic plan works this way: the client files from a mobile app, at $3.99 a claim.
3. You, or a service, file it for them. The claim goes in after each session and the patient never touches it. Mentaya does this for a 5% fee per claim (about $10 on a $200 session), paid by you or the client, and it handles denials and resubmissions. Thrizer has no subscription. From Nov 2 it charges $4 per claim, or $15 for instant reimbursement, alongside card processing at 2.85% + 30¢. Reimbursify's practice plans let you file courtesy claims yourself: Plus is $59/mo per practitioner for 10 claims a month, and Pro is $99/mo ($89 billed annually) for unlimited.
All three tools list a signed BAA.
A simple decision rule
Count last month's out-of-network sessions. That number is your claim volume.
- Under about 25 claims a month: pay per claim. At roughly $4 a claim, you won't reach the cost of a $99 flat plan.
- Over 25 a month, and you're fine owning follow-up: a flat monthly plan is usually the cheapest per claim.
- You never want to see a denial letter: pay a percentage for done-for-you filing, and decide up front who carries the fee.
That last decision deserves real thought. At 60 sessions a month at $200, a 5% fee is about $600 a month if you absorb it and $0 if clients pay it. Passing it on protects your margin. Absorbing it can be a cleaner way to compete than cutting your rate, because the patient sees the whole benefit.
One thing to do this week
Whatever route you pick, move the money conversation earlier. Before the first visit, check the patient's out-of-network benefits and tell them roughly what to expect back. All three tools offer benefits checks; on Reimbursify, Plus includes 4 a month and Pro is unlimited.
One sentence does most of the work: "Your plan should reimburse part of each visit, and we'll handle the claim." It answers the question patients are quietly asking about your fee, before they ask it.
A note for prescribers: Thrizer and Mentaya describe themselves as built for private-pay therapists. If most of your visits are medication management, ask how they handle your visit types before you switch. Reimbursify lists psychiatrists among its supported specialties.
Compare Thrizer, Mentaya and Reimbursify side by side
Fees, who pays, BAA links and best fit for each, on one page.
Sponsor note
This issue has no sponsor, and none of these three tools pays us a referral fee. Fees are from each vendor's site as of Oct 17–19, 2026, and Thrizer's change on Nov 2. Confirm current pricing and payer rules before you sign up. This is admin guidance, not billing or legal advice.