As President and Founder of Ocean Front Counseling, Dr. Sharon Willey-Spurrier, Psy. D., BCBA, LBA, has been instrumental in expanding services for children and adults with autism and IDD across Maryland and Delaware. Despite their strong commitment to quality care, her team faced one major administrative hurdle: time-intensive and inconsistent billing processes. These bottlenecks and inefficiencies impacted their bottom line.
For providers serving vulnerable populations, consistent cash flow is essential—revenue and quality of care are closely linked. While Ocean Front Counseling never compromised on care, Dr. Willey-Spurrier recognized that ongoing financial strain could limit future growth.
That’s when they turned to BillMax to transform their billing workflows. After implementing BillMax, the team experienced rapid improvements.
“I don’t have to worry anymore,” Dr. Sharon shared. “I know BillMax has me covered from the way that the claims are going in and CentralReach has me covered for the content of the note. And so, as a business owner, it really helps me sleep at night, knowing that what's going out is fully substantiated by the documentation and the billing process.”
- Dr. Sharon Willey-Spurrier, Psy. D., BCBA, LB
President and Founder of Ocean Front Counseling
The Challenges: Revenue Roadblocks and Operational Strain
Behind the scenes, Ocean Front’s in-house billing team was stretched thin. Managing complex billing demands required two staff members to dedicate two full days every week chasing down unpaid invoices and reworking denied claims. “There were times we were just giving up,” Dr. Sharon Willey-Spurrier admitted. “We would have staff on the phone for half a day, and we had to be able to focus on other clients.”
High denial rates and slow reimbursements strained cash flow. Evolving payor changes added further layers of complexity and stress. The cumulative effect was more than just financial—it risked slowing the organization’s growth and diverting time and resources from their primary mission of providing quality care.
As Ocean Front Counseling expanded, so did the risk for audits. With growing service demands and frequent changes to payor rules, the team saw a need to simplify and strengthen their documentation and authorization processes
The Solution: Partnering With CR BillMax
For Ocean Front Counseling, the turning point came with the establishment of a dedicated billing partner—CR BillMax. The BillMax team delivered a fully managed billing service tailored to Ocean Front. They provided transparent processes with real-time visibility, so the team consistently had up-to-date knowledge on billing activity and claim statuses. BillMax enabled consistent cash flow while significantly reducing administrative burdens on the clinical team.
Transitioning from in-house billing to an external partner can feel daunting—but for Ocean Front Consulting, the move to BillMax was seamless. The Customer Success team provided hands-on precision teaching tailored to their workflow, ensuring a smooth transition. BillMax quickly took over billing from timesheet submissions, securing clean claims.
Within just a few weeks, Ocean Front Counseling began to see profound impacts. A solution to their billing inefficiencies became a catalyst for broader organizational improvements.
Clean Claims, Clear Wins
One of the greatest benefits for Dr. Sharon was the reduction in claim rejections. As she explained, “We saw a 40% drop in the rejection of our claims within the first 90 days.” Another quick and sustainable win was the gross collection rate. Previously, they collected 20-30% in 2-3 week periods. Dr. Sharon said, “Now, within a 2-week cycle, we are up to 97% gross collection.” Beyond direct financial benefits, the Ocean Front team also experienced reduced administrative burden. Internal staff no longer had to dedicate time to manual billing and denial management.
Confidence Through Payor Changes
They also gained peace of mind knowing they were payor-compliant and audit-ready. With BillMax, billing workflows proactively catch errors and prevent incomplete claims from being submitted. BillMax’s real-time monitoring of evolving payor requirements also ensured the team stayed ahead of regulatory changes. Dr. Sharon shared an experience this past January, when the state of Maryland switched to a new state service organization to handle medical assistance contracts. She explained how this happens every five years, and it can take months to get paid when they handle things on their own. With BillMax on their side this year, she stated, “They helped us get paid on day one of the new state Medicaid contract—others are still waiting.”
Predictable Revenue, Sustainable Expansion
Perhaps most significantly, recovered funds—previously tied up in denied claims—were reinvested into care delivery and long-term strategy. As Dr. Sharon put it, “BillMax has more than paid for itself.” With a reliable cash flow and predictable weekly billing schedule, Ocean Front Counseling gained the confidence and clarity to plan for the future. As resources were reallocated toward growth and quality care, the team opened a new ABA clinic, serving learners as young as 17 months.
Billing Peace of Mind
CR BillMax became more than just a billing vendor—it evolved into a strategic business partner. By eliminating the need to constantly chase down reimbursements, Ocean Front Counseling gained the stability to focus on long-term growth. For Dr. Sharon Willey-Spurrier, that meant more time doing what matters most: delivering exceptional care, investing in her team, and expanding services to reach more families.
“We could have never been at this point had it not been for our partnership with CentralReach and BillMax, and knowing that revenue is coming in.” –Dr. Sharon Willey-Spurrier, PsyD, BCBA, LBA, President & Founder of Ocean Front Counseling
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