The federal rule is short, but almost every summary of it written for clinicians gets the timing wrong. These pages work through it with the regulation quoted alongside.
Which therapy clients are owed a Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act, including insured clients who choose not to bill their plan.
The delivery deadlines for a Good Faith Estimate run from the date of scheduling, not the appointment date. Worked examples for a therapy practice.
The content elements a Good Faith Estimate must contain under 45 CFR 149.610(c), mapped to what a solo therapy practice actually fills in.
How patient-provider dispute resolution works when a bill exceeds the Good Faith Estimate by $400 or more, and what a provider has to show.
Insured clients who choose not to submit a claim count as self-pay for Good Faith Estimate purposes. What that means for superbills and out-of-network work.
The service codes a psychotherapy practice most often puts on a Good Faith Estimate, and how session length and add-ons affect which one applies.
One Good Faith Estimate can cover a course of ongoing therapy, but its scope may not exceed 12 months. How to describe frequency and when to reissue.
Reviewed August 2026
EstimateHarbor is not a law firm and none of this is legal advice. It summarises the federal rule as we read it; your state may add requirements, and how it applies to your practice is a question for your own counsel or professional association.