Frequently Asked Questions
The Problem
Why do behavioral health providers “do everything right” and still lose?+
Even well-documented appeals can hit a wall — because clinical criteria define eligibility, not how payers actually enforce it. Same clinical scenario, same criteria, different outcomes. Experience beats correctness in this system — and that’s the gap we close.
Is payer behavior random or arbitrary?+
Not at all. It’s patterned but undocumented. Look closely at large claim volumes and you’ll see consistent enforcement trends — they’re just never formally published.
What denial types does Stratum focus on?+
We zero in on medical necessity disputes — the cases where payer interpretation varies most and human judgment tips the outcome.
What do you mean by “complex” claims?+
Industry data shows 10–30% of denials require human expertise, and 80.7% of appealed denials are overturned, yet only 11.5% ever get appealed. The gap isn’t automation capability — it’s knowing which denials to contest and what evidence sequences work.
Why does behavioral health have higher denial rates?+
BH medical necessity criteria are inherently more subjective. “Clinically appropriate” for PHP or IOP requires judgment calls about symptom severity, functional impairment, and treatment history — and those calls vary by payer and reviewer.
The Platform
What exactly is a Precedent Object?+
A structured record of what actually worked — which evidence combinations, in what sequence, moved outcomes for a specific payer and denial type. It’s institutional memory, captured and reusable.
What does Stratum’s Platform do?+
We capture how your team solves complex medical necessity cases and turn that reasoning into reusable, structured intelligence: outcome-labeled precedent objects, expert-validated playbooks, explainable reasoning chains, and versioned intelligence.
What clinical criteria do you work with?+
All the major frameworks your team already knows: ASAM, MCG, and InterQual — captured at the enforcement level, not just the requirement level.
Is it HIPAA compliant?+
Yes — fully. All data handling follows HIPAA requirements with BAAs in place. Precedent Objects are de-identified by design: payer ID + denial code + clinical scenario + evidence elements + outcome. No PHI.
Is this automation?+
No — and that’s intentional. RCM platforms automate routine tasks. We focus on the 10–30% of complex cases where human judgment determines outcomes — and make that expertise compound over time.
Pricing & Implementation
How is Stratum priced?+
Lite Sprint: $10–15K (1 cluster, 30–45 days). Standard Sprint: $40–60K (3–4 clusters, 45–60 days). Comprehensive Sprint: $75–95K (5+ clusters, 60–90 days). Intelligence Platform: $120K–200K/year.
What’s the ROI timeline?+
Most partners see measurable improvement within 60–90 days.
How long does implementation take?+
Fast. Sprint kickoff is 1–2 weeks, and you’ll see first precedent captures within 30–60 days.
Does it integrate with our existing systems?+
Sprints work alongside your current workflow — no integration required. The Platform embeds guidance where your team already works.
Do you take a percentage of recovered revenue?+
No. We charge for expertise capture and intelligence access — never contingency fees.
Competitive
How are you different from Thoughtful AI or other RCM automation?+
AI RCM automates high-volume, low-complexity claims. We operate on the complex 30% that AI can’t template. Explainability shows what the model decided. Governance lets your team fix it when it’s wrong.
What about MCG or InterQual?+
MCG and InterQual define what should be required. We capture how payers actually enforce those requirements. Requirements vs. enforcement — we operate on the gap between published criteria and real-world behavior.
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