In this guide, you can find answers to frequently asked questions about managing good faith estimates.
Note: To view our main guide on the good faith estimate, see Adding a good faith estimate.
We'll cover:
- Are client signatures required on the good faith estimate?
- Why can’t I create and share the good faith estimate as an intake form?
- What if my TIN is my SSN? Is my TIN required on the Good Faith Estimate?
- Does the good faith estimate include all legally required information and disclaimers?
- How do I update the OMB control number?
- Can I add a suffix to my name in the Provider section?
Are client signatures required on the good faith estimate?
The good faith estimate aims to protect clients by educating them about the differences between in-network and out-of-network coverage. A signature on the good faith estimate consents to the following:
- I’m giving up some consumer billing protections under federal law
- I may get a bill for the full charges for these items and services, or have to pay out-of-network cost-sharing under my health plan
- I fully and completely understand that some or all amounts I pay might not count toward my health plan’s deductible or out-of-pocket limit
Client signatures aren’t required on the good faith estimate. However, if the client chooses not to sign, the provider can opt out of providing care and the client can proceed to find an in-network provider instead.
Why can’t I create and share the good faith estimate as an intake form?
The good faith estimate shouldn’t be an intake form because they include client-specific information, such as their name, date of birth, and diagnosis, prior to the client completing the document.
In order to accomplish this using an intake form, you'd have to include PHI on an intake form template, which we don’t recommend as it could potentially be shared with other clients in your account.
What if my TIN is my SSN? Is my TIN required on the Good Faith Estimate?
Yes, per CMS.gov, your TIN is required on the Good Faith Estimate. If your TIN is your SSN, we recommend reaching out to your legal advisor(s) for advice on how to fill out this form.
Does the good faith estimate include all legally required information and disclaimers?
The good faith estimate form includes all the necessary information required on the form as provided by CMS.gov. The disclaimers and information about the form populates when the client views the form in the Client Portal:
This information doesn’t appear when you're creating and viewing a new good faith estimate form on the client’s Overview page. To read the required information and disclaimers, we recommend creating a good faith estimate for a test client to view the form from the client’s perspective in the Client Portal.
Note: The information and disclaimer in the good faith estimate can't be customized or removed.
How do I update the OMB control number?
The OMB control number is required on the good faith estimate and will appear in the top right corner of the good faith estimate when downloaded or viewed by a client.
Note: The OMB control number isn’t visible when creating or editing a form. It’ll only appear when viewing a downloaded version.
The OMB control number isn’t editable and will be the same for all good faith estimates.
Can I add a suffix to my name in the Provider section?
If you've added a suffix to your SimplePractice profile in Settings > Profile > Profile and security, the suffix will also appear in the good faith estimate.
Note: The suffix will only appear on good faith estimates you create after adding it in your Profile and security settings. If you’d like the suffix to appear on previously created good faith estimates, you’ll want to either delete and recreate those, or edit them to add in the suffix manually.