Check your notes for compliance with Upheal

Claim denials and insurance clawbacks are on the rise.

Tech platforms — in an attempt to maintain strong reimbursement rates — are introducing documentation requirements and "integrity standards" that verge on arbitrary.

Meanwhile, therapists are still writing notes using the same hacks and "pro tips" from their supervisors in 2018.

Here's what's happening: Insurance companies processed over 2.8 billion mental health claims last year, and denial rates have climbed to 23% industry-wide.

That's not a small hiccup in your practice revenue. That's a fundamental shift in how payers evaluate therapeutic documentation.

You've felt it, haven't you?

That sinking feeling when a perfectly reasonable claim gets flagged for "insufficient clinical justification" or "inadequate treatment necessity documentation."

Your client made genuine progress.

You provided excellent care.

But your notes didn't speak the language that automated review systems understand.

The problem isn't your clinical skills. It's that the documentation landscape has evolved into something resembling a compliance minefield, where one missing element can trigger a cascade of administrative headaches. Treatment plans need specific measurable goals. Progress notes require quantifiable evidence of improvement.

Risk assessments demand detailed clinical reasoning that demonstrates medical necessity.

But here's the real kicker: nobody's teaching this in graduate school. Most supervision focuses on therapeutic technique, not reimbursement strategy. You're left trying to reverse-engineer compliance from rejection letters and hoping your next note hits the mark.

This isn't sustainable. It's time for a different approach.

What is Compliance Checker?

Compliance Checker is Upheal's answer to the documentation uncertainty that's plaguing private practice. It helps spot missing elements in your notes based on real payer standards, so that you can be audit-ready at all times.

This isn't another template system that forces your unique clinical voice into rigid boxes. Instead, Compliance Checker analyzes your existing documentation approach and identifies specific gaps that could trigger claim reviews. It examines treatment necessity justification, progress measurement, risk assessment completeness, and diagnostic consistency — the four pillars that determine whether your notes will survive automated review systems.

The technology works by comparing your documentation against current payer requirements from Aetna and Optum, with more standards coming soon. It can check both Upheal-generated and externally uploaded notes, and provides a checklist view of gaps that need to be corrected before submission. For Upheal session notes, you also have the option to set up Compliance Checker to do automatic checks.

While Compliance Checker provides suggestions, you are still in control. Think about Compliance Checker like seeing the red line under a misspelled word; it gives recommendations that you can review first before finalizing your notes.

How to use Compliance Checker

Using Compliance Checker feels less like learning new software and more like having an experienced colleague look over your shoulder.

The process is straightforward.

First, select your criteria by choosing the payer guidance you'd like to apply. Current standards include documentation requirements from Aetna and Optum, with more coming soon.

For Upheal-generated session notes, you just have to click a “Run Compliance Checker” button next to your note to assess compliance. You’ll be able to review a clear, line-by-line report showing which criteria are met and where documentation may be missing or unclear. Gaps appear as clear alerts to take action on, such as:

If you want to be more proactive, you have the option of setting up automatic checks and even daily notifications of notes that need your attention.

You can also review external notes for compliance too via PDF upload (up to 50MB each) — making it easier to check your own notes, a colleague’s, or a supervisee’s.

You get a similarly comprehensive checklist that identifies what needs to be fixed before note submission. You can download the report as a PDF, share with your team, or re-run the check after making changes. Stored documents are, as always, kept private and secure.

This interface is especially designed for busy clinicians. You can review your own work, supervise associates, or self-audit your practice's documentation. The system automatically keeps pace as requirements change — no extra work required.

Why it matters: stronger documentation means stronger care

When your documentation clearly demonstrates medical necessity, something shifts in your clinical focus.

You stop constantly negotiating between what happened in the room and what will survive an audit. Instead, you can focus on delivering the right care — the care your clients actually need.

Compliance Checker helps you document with precision, tracking the specific changes that matter for recovery. This isn't just about getting paid. It's about developing the clinical observation skills that make you more effective at what you do.

When you're not second-guessing your notes, you can be fully present with your clients.

Ready to test your notes against real standards?

Documentation anxiety doesn't have to be part of your clinical practice.

Every day you delay addressing compliance gaps is another day of potential claim denials, revenue uncertainty, and administrative stress that takes energy away from the work you actually trained to do.

Compliance Checker isn't about changing who you are as a clinician. It's about ensuring your clinical expertise gets the recognition and reimbursement it deserves.

Your therapeutic skills are solid. Your client relationships are strong.

Now it's time to make sure your documentation reflects that professional competence.

The question isn't whether compliance requirements will continue evolving — they will. The question is whether you'll stay ahead of those changes or keep playing catch-up with rejection letters and appeals.

Take five minutes right now to check your most recent note with Upheal's Compliance Checker.

See exactly where your documentation stands and discover specific ways to strengthen it. You might be surprised by what you learn about your own clinical writing, and you'll definitely feel more confident about your next claim submission.

Your clients deserve excellent care, and you deserve fair reimbursement for providing it. Compliance Checker bridges that gap, turning documentation from a source of anxiety into a tool of professional confidence.

Check your first note today and see what compliance clarity actually feels like.