Notes from the TMS bench.
Operations, billing, outcomes, and the software around them. Written by clinicians and operators who run TMS programs every day.
A prior-authorization playbook for TMS programs
How the best TMS practices submit, track, and renew authorizations without losing sessions to lapsed approvals.
PHQ-9 as a conversation, not a checkbox
Outcome measures only matter if they change clinical conversations. Here's how to wire weekly PHQ-9 into a TMS course.
The economics of a TMS no-show
A no-show isn't just lost revenue — it's a missed treatment session in a time-bound course. Here's how to think about it.
Why motor threshold drifts mid-course — and what to do about it
Motor threshold isn't a one-time number. A short protocol for re-checking it and documenting the change without slowing the day.
An ERA workflow that actually closes the loop
Auto-posting 835s is the easy part. Here's the small set of rules that turns ERAs into a working A/R discipline.
Scheduling a TMS day without breaking the course
The scheduling rules that protect course completion: chair blocks, gap policy, and how to handle the inevitable late add.
Documenting TMS sessions in a way payers actually accept
The seven fields that show up in every favorable payer review — and the three that show up in every denial.
A 20-minute TMS intake that doesn't feel rushed
The intake script and the three forms that get a new patient from referral to first treatment in under a week.