The Claim Game

EPISODE SUMMARY A full schedule doesn’t always mean a financially healthy practice. Sometimes the real problem isn’t patient volume—it’s revenue that’s getting stuck in the billing process. In this episode of The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug explains how rejected claims, unresolved denials, aging AR, and inefficient billing workflows can quietly drain revenue even while a practice continues to grow. He...

EPISODE SUMMARY Your reimbursement rate isn’t necessarily the market rate. In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug explains why practice owners should look beyond their own contracts to understand what comparable practices are actually being paid. Jeremy explores how reimbursement benchmarking and market data can uncover hidden revenue opportunities, strengthen payer negotiations, and help...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with Gabrielle Juliano-Villani, LCSW, to discuss scaling a seven-figure group practice, navigating burnout, and stepping into the CEO role. Gabrielle shares lessons on leadership, delegation, and taking risks, plus why Medicare and Medicaid can offer valuable growth opportunities for behavioral health practices. KEYWORDS Gro...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with clinical psychologist and practice owner Dr. Michelle Perry to discuss innovation, problem-solving, and leadership in private practice. Michelle shares how the limitations of insurance led her to explore new models of care, including wellness services, therapy intensives, and ketamine-assisted therapy. She also explains...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with retired psychologist and business coach Nicole McCance to discuss how she grew from a burned-out solo practitioner to building a 55-therapist, multi-seven-figure group practice. Nicole shares the systems and strategies behind that growth, including hiring the right team, creating SOPs, using AI and automation, attractin...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with Tara Wells, sports social worker and founder of Finish Line Mindset, to discuss building a private practice around therapy, coaching, and prevention. Tara shares her approach to separating coaching from clinical work, transitioning from insurance to private pay, and using networking to grow her practice. They also discu...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with Alexandra Hoerr, founder of Optimum Joy, to discuss building and leading a growing group therapy practice. Alexandra shares how burnout inspired her approach to practice ownership and how Optimum Joy balances growth, accessibility, clinician development, and strong organizational systems. They also explore the challenge...

EPISODE SUMMARY Burnout isn't a personal failure, and feeling stuck doesn't mean you lack motivation. In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with psychotherapist and bestselling author  Britt Frank  to discuss burnout, anxiety, leadership, and the mindset shifts that help practice owners thrive. From moving from clinician to CEO to setting boundaries, leading healthier teams, an...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with Anne Neal, Vice President of Product Management & Payment Integrity at  Availity , to discuss the future of revenue cycle management. Together, they explore Availity's Abrasion Index, payment integrity, AI, prior authorization, and preventing claim errors before submission.. They also discuss fraud prevention, respo...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with Hemant Gupta , physician advisor and former Chief Medical Officer at UnitedHealthcare, to explore the intersection of clinical care, insurance, and healthcare innovation. Together, they discuss why claim denials happen, how better documentation supports medical necessity, the structural challenges of value-based care, an...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with Daniel Fava, founder of Private Practice Elevation, to discuss how your website can become an extension of your administrative team. Daniel shares how building his wife's therapy practice website led to an agency specializing in web design, SEO, copywriting, and digital strategy for private practices. Together, they exp...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with Dr. Marina Badillo-Diaz, LCSW, founder of The AI Social Worker, to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming mental health and human services. Dr. Badillo-Diaz shares practical guidance on using AI ethically, protecting client privacy, and maintaining clinical judgment while embracing new technology. Together,...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with Daniel King of Fireside Strategic to explore the realities of healthcare mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Together, they discuss what makes a practice attractive to buyers, how valuations are really determined, and why factors like payer diversification, clinician retention, and operational readiness can significantl...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with Danny Freed, founder and CEO of Blueprint, to discuss how AI is transforming mental health practice management. Danny shares the personal journey that led him to healthcare, why Blueprint reimagined the traditional EHR model, and how AI is helping therapists spend less time on documentation and more time with clients. F...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with Danielle Hayes, founder of Therapy Austin, to explore how she grew a cash-pay therapy practice from three clinicians to more than 140 providers across multiple locations. Danielle shares the leadership strategies, hiring philosophies, and operational systems that supported sustainable growth, along with lessons on clini...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with Shannon Hiser, founder of The Wellness Counseling Center LLC, to discuss the realities of scaling a multi-location therapy practice. Shannon shares the administrative and compliance challenges that tested her business—from staffing turnover and insurance audits to billing setbacks—and how she built a reliable in-house b...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this solo episode of  The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug breaks down one of the most common—and most fixable—revenue cycle challenges: claim rejections. Learn the difference between rejections and denials, why small technical errors delay payment, and how to identify the issues preventing your claims from reaching the payer. From EDI enrollment problems and provider directory mismatche...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of The Claim Game , we’re moving to the front lines of your Revenue Cycle Management (RCM). Most practices focus on the back end—chasing late, old money. But the true masters of the game focus on the front end. They make sure a claim is perfect and pristine so insurance companies have no choice but to pay them immediately. We call this mastering the first-pass strat...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of The Claim Game , Jeremy sits down with Nicole Brewer, owner of reTHINK Your Practice and reTHINK Therapy in Henderson, Nevada. Celebrating a massive 10-year milestone this year, Nicole has managed to scale an insurance-based group practice to 23 therapists while keeping her sanity intact. Even better? Nicole officially holds the highest score out of all the pract...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, host Jeremy Zug dives straight into one of the most frustrating translation issues in the entire billing universe: modifiers . While many practice owners and CEOs think that typing in a CPT code tells the whole story, insurance company board-game logic demands a whole lot more. CPT codes are just the verbs—they tell the payer what you did. Modifiers are the syntax,...

EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode of The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug sits down with the incredible Dr. Dominique Dor , owner of SOTM Life Skills Center in Duncanville, Texas. Dr. Dor’s journey is anything but typical. Born in Haiti and raised in Brooklyn, she overcame an ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) score of 10 —a score that statistically suggests a life of hardship—to build a thriving group pra...

EPISODE SUMMARY Is your practice tired of wrestling with insurance denials and watching hard-earned revenue slip through the cracks? In this episode of The Claim Game , Jeremy Zug goes upstream to the "point of inception": Claim Submission . While many providers view submitting a claim as a simple keystroke, Jeremy challenges that rudimentary thinking. He breaks down why claim submission is actual...

EPISODE SUMMARY Is your practice a "Jamey Show" or a sustainable business? In this episode, Jeremy sits down with Jamey Schrier, PT, and founder of Practice Freedom U , to discuss the messy, often painful transition from "solopreneur" to professional business owner. Jamey shares the raw story of his practice burning to the ground—literally—and why that disaster was actually the "snow day" he neede...

EPISODE SUMMARY Are you running a practice, or are you just moving pieces around a board while your bank account stays empty? In this episode, Jeremy Zug dives into the high-tangible world of Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) to discuss the vital signs of your practice’s financial health. As a clinician, you might be used to the "wait and see" approach in a therapy session, but in the billing world,...

EPISODE SUMMARY In our second-ever practice audit, we’re heading up north—way up north. We’re joined by Meg Wright , a licensed professional counselor and the visionary behind Maitri Holistic Therapy and Wellness in Homer, Alaska.  Meg has built a thriving practice based on the Sanskrit concept of maitri —developing an unconditional friendship with yourself. But even with a successful practice and...