Identity verification for patients is rolling out between May and mid-June.
Looking for info about Headway's identity verification requirement? See How identity verification affects your clients →
Confirming that clients are who they say they are is an important part of safe, quality care — and Headway has safeguards in place to help. Below, you'll find how Headway verifies client identity and what's expected of you as a provider.
How client identity is verified
For insurance clients
Headway verifies client demographic information before filing claims. We confirm that the client's name, date of birth, and insurance member ID match what their insurer has on file.
For private pay clients
For private pay clients, Headway relies on providers to confirm client identity at intake.
Sometimes, clients will attempt to use third party sites (i.e. Psychology Today, Zocdoc, etc.) to make contact with providers, providing realistic-sounding insurance member IDs, or even falsified insurance cards, in order to gain access to the Headway platform. Once they enter their insurance information, and it shows as unverified due to the identity mismatch, these clients request to move to private pay.
For clients seeing a prescriber
Headway now requires identity verification (IDV) for all clients seeing a prescriber.
Clients submit a photo of a government-issued ID and complete a brief facial scan — all within their Headway account. This process adds a meaningful layer of protection for your practice against identity misuse and insurance fraud.
For all clients
Our expectation is that all providers adhere to our Client Demographic Integrity Policy, to ensure that the individual receiving care matches the information of the individual being billed on the platform.
This means checking your client’s government ID, and ensuring that it matches their insurance information for insurance sessions, or entering the client’s demographic information that aligns with their government ID for private pay sessions (including correct spellings).
At this time, Headway does not automatically collect or compare client government identification to the client’s identity, or to the insurance information provided; however, we may do this on an ad hoc basis.
We are always evaluating product improvements we can make to the Headway platform. If we make this feature available, we'll let you know!
Your responsibilities for client identity
All providers are expected to follow Headway's Client Demographic Integrity Policy. In practice, this means:
- Checking your client's government-issued ID
- Ensuring their name, date of birth, and demographic information match what's entered in Headway — for insurance sessions, this should align with their insurer's records
- For private pay sessions, entering demographic information that matches their government ID, including correct spellings
Best practices when starting with a new client
- Ask about and document the client's current medications.
- Ask whether they're receiving services from any other provider. Obtain releases of information as needed to coordinate care.
- Document any concerns about client behavior in your session notes.
- If you're prescribing controlled substances, reference your state's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) and document the appropriate protocols.
Still have questions? Contact our support team.
If you have concerns that a client is misrepresenting their identity, malingering, or seeking controlled substances from multiple providers, reach out to compliance@findheadway.com.
When reporting, add your documentation to the relevant appointments so we can review it as part of the investigation process.