BDI - Beck Depression Inventory (the original, public-domain release)
This is the world-famous BDI for assessing depression levels. It was never intended to be a diagnostic tool, but you can get symptom indicators. This tool is intended for SP clinicians and NOT intended for research use (better to use the BDI-II, which is copywritten). It's simply a quick way for a clinician to get some data about the client's level of depression, areas of focus, and talking points. It provides useful information for creating a treatment plan. Health plans LOVE IT when you include these assessments with the client's record as part of a clinical review. It validates a course of treatment and may assist in helping you get on-going reimbursement for treatment. To download the PDF file, click here.
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I created this myself. Keep in mind, this is the BDI, not the BDI-II (which is the most current). BDI-II is copywritten, so you must buy it from Pearson Clinical. But the original BDI is in the public domain. In order for you to access this BDI template, it must be uploaded into the shared template library. Someone at Simple Practice must do this and this requires an approval process. I just uploaded this about a week ago, so it may be a bit before it becomes available.
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At this time, there is no way to automatically score the tool after it is used. The template simply presents the data in a format that makes it easy for the client to answer the questions. You will have to do the scoring yourself. Simple Practice MAY be in the process of creating a template that will include a feature by which scoring can be completed. But as of this writing, no such feature exists.
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Wow. How disappointing. I felt it was reasonable to expect that, at the very least, this template would be uploaded by now.
SP- Is there something we're missing here? Is this a task that involves more than we're aware of?Is there any way to escalate this request in the development efforts?
Thanks again, Ryan. I admire your initiative.
At the moment, I'm trying to determine a method for capturing session satisfaction (similar to SRS and ORS). I prefer to assess more than the two prompts provided in the current SP template library. Ryan, have you created a session rating scale instrument or an outcome rating scale version in your SP documents?
Thanks-
Ryan Grassmann
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Ryan,I have considered the ORS as part of my documentation regimen, and I am aware of the benefits of gathering this data. Attached is a copy of the form I created in SP. I simply haven't gotten to the point of feeling comfortable asking the client if they would feel comfortable using some of their session time to answer and discuss the questions. That is a work in progress.
There are many assessment tools that would be beneficial to any private practice, but I have found after 5 years of running my own business that I have never needed to rely on the information provided in the BDI to find talking points with my clients. If I used the BDI, it would be to justify to health insurance a depressive-related diagnosis.
So I'm not really chomping at the bit the see this get uploaded to the Template Library. I only offer it as something I created to easily and quickly obtain more documentation to add to the client's treatment history so a better diagnosis and treatment plan can be formulated.
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Hey, thanks for the response, Ryan.
I'm also in private practice (2015) and I contract with a majority of the commercial payers and medicaid.
I agree with you about the varying benefits of the aforementioned measures (SRS, ORS, BDI, etc). I use them to support medical necessity, diagnostic validity, and to provide documentation of clinical outcomes. It's mostly to appease insurance co's. But I am convinced that measuring satisfaction would contribute to my effort to improve in some areas.
My plan was to send the measure through the client portal following session (predetermined intervals).
As for the symptoms measures, commercial and government payers have worked hard to convince me that I will face (insert consequence here) should I fail to provide documentation that supports the Dx, Tx plan, and session interventions.
I have never faced an audit (except for the risk adjustment type) but I receive 90837 warnings periodically (they go right into the shredder at this point). I do see (and treat) my clients for a clock hour, so I bill 90837 for the bulk of my typical individual sessions.
Someday, I may simple subscribe to one of the measurement services that distributes the measures and provides the results in various formats. I haven't really looked into it to deeply. I do all my own books, claims/billing, and all the other things myself to cut down on the overhead.
Anyway, thanks for the feedback and the template format examples. They've helped me in figuring out how to create the templates.
Take care,
Ryan Grassmann
Portland Mental Wellness -
Hi Ryan,
I have been in private practice since 2017 and formerly did work with many commercial payors. I couldn't have done it without Simple Practice, which was a huge help with scheduling, documentation and billing. I have since invested much of my practice in working with Military One Source EAP providing counseling services to the five branches of the military. Each year I have requested reimbursement rate increases that have been successively approved, so now I am receiving a per-session rate that substantially exceeds what any plan will pay me, without much of the billing hassles.
The forms I created that you see on the Template Exchange site were those I used when I was starting my practice. I figured it's not secret sauce, so I may as well share the love. Hopefully can get their private practices off the ground more quickly having ready-made forms to use right away. Thanks for your continued support.
Ryan Buchmann, MA, MFT, CADC-II
CounselingWerks, A Marriage and Family Therapy Corp
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Hi Lisa,
No, I have never been questioned over my use of the BDI to screen for depression. This form does not go anywhere, other than into the client's health record file. No client has ever said to me or asked, "Hey, man, isn't this assessment tool copyrighted? Do you have a license or permission to administer this to me?"
Pearson Assessments only offers the BDI-II as a copyrighted inventory. If you anticipate somehow using the assessment as a part of research or you have a large-scale practice that routinely administers the tool as part of routine practice, then by all means, pay for permission to use BDI-II. If your conscience demands that you keep your documentation on the up and up, then pay for permission to use it, then you do not have to worry.
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Haha fair point. I wasn't trying to come at you or anything. We just created the form ourselves too, then realized it was copyrighted. And were wondering now how we should proceed and whatnot. We honestly weren't sure.
Yea, as part of research or a larger-scale practice, that makes sense to me for too, of course. Wasn't sure how big of a deal it was on a smaller scale...
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As I said, BDI-II is the only assessment tool offered for purchase. But I only use the BDI to gauge severity level of depression for the client, so for me as a single-employee practice, it does not make sense to purchase BDI-II and I just don't think anyone is really going to come after me for using an older version of it. The only person I would imagine would create a problem would be a disgruntled colleague in private practice with me who wanted to make trouble.
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