6.4 Change Session Details (Type, CPT Code, Times, Place of Service & More)
Last updated: July 29, 2026
Key Timeframes
Before sign-off: Clinicians have full flexibility to modify the session type, CPT code, times, place of service, participants, and units.
After sign-off, before billing (~3 days): Admins can still make corrections, including changing the CPT code and session type.
After the session is billed, paid, or submitted to the payer. The clinic can no longer make the change. Send us a ticket and Alpaca will handle it (see "After the window" below).
Everything You Can Change at Sign-Off
Most session corrections happen in one place: the Sign Session Note panel.
To open it: go to the session note → click Sign off. (If the note is already signed, use the ⋯ actions menu on the note → Modify Session.
From that panel you can change every billing field on the session, not just the CPT code:
Field | What it does |
|---|---|
Was this a pre-scheduled appointment? | Links the note to a scheduled appointment, or select Unscheduled – Create new appointment. Changing the appointment re-pulls its place of service, CPT code, modifier, and times. |
Place of service (required) | The POS code billed on the claim (e.g. |
CPT code (required) | Assessment (97151), Supporting Assessment (97152), Direct Session (97153), Group RBT Session (97154), Protocol Modification (97155), Parent Training (97156/97157), Group Protocol Modification (97158), and the joint codes (0362T, 0373T). If the client's payer restricts which codes may be used, the dropdown shows only the allowed codes. |
Modifier | Appears for Medicaid clients billing 97151. Optional ( |
Additional participants | Who else was present: Parent(s), Grandparent(s), Sibling(s), Peer(s), Other Caregiver(s), and any staff member in your organization. Multi-select — you can't add yourself. |
Date, Start time, End time | The billed session times. Units recalculate automatically as you edit (see below). |
Co-treatment | Appears when the client's payer permits it. Check Co-treatment with SLP or OT and pick the discipline — this adds modifier XP (Separate Practitioner) to the claim. |
Clinician & patient signatures | Clinician signature is required to finalize; patient/parent signature is optional. |
Changing any of these fields does not regenerate the note. The narrative documentation stays exactly as written — only the billing details update. (Changing the session type is the one exception: Alpaca regenerates the note content to match the new type's format and sections.)
Changing Session Times and Units
Start and end times are pre-filled from the appointment, or from the recorded session times if the session was unscheduled.
Units are computed for you using the 8-minute rule: 15 minutes per unit, and any remainder of 8 minutes or more adds one more unit. (A 23-minute session = 2 units; a 22-minute session = 1 unit.)
The date field is locked when a scheduled appointment is linked. To move a session to a different day, either pick a different appointment or switch to Unscheduled.
All times display in your browser's local timezone — shown under the time pickers.
You must click "Verify Time" before the note can be finalized. Editing any time clears the verification, so verify last.
Issues that block signing (must be fixed):
Start time is after the end time
Session is shorter than 8 minutes (less than 1 unit)
Session is longer than 8 hours
Times are more than 24 hours in the future
Warnings you can proceed past — click Bypass with explanation and give a written reason:
Times span two calendar days
The time is in the future
The session starts or ends between 1 AM and 5 AM
EVV sessions: the panel shows your Sandata clock-out time as a reference — use that as the end time for EVV compliance. Your geolocation is captured with the signature.
Requirements to Finalize
The panel shows a live checklist. All items must be green before Finalize Session Note Now is enabled:
Place of service selected
CPT code selected
Time verified (click Verify Time)
Clinician signature drawn
No outstanding validation errors
Two ways to save:
Save and Finish Note Later — keeps all your edits and captured signatures without finalizing. Use this when a parent is present to sign, but you aren't ready to submit the note.
Finalize Session Note Now — opens a confirmation dialog listing the date, time, duration, units, place of service, and CPT code. There's a short review timer and an attestation checkbox before Confirm & Sign. Signing is a legal attestation and cannot be undone.
If the session times overlap another appointment, Alpaca stops the sign-off and shows you the conflicting appointments so you can correct the times first.
How to Change the Session Type
Open the session note.
Select the new type from the session type dropdown.
Confirm.
Alpaca regenerates the note content to match the new type's format and sections.
How to Change the CPT Code or Units
Open the session note and click Sign off (or ⋯ → Modify Session if already signed).
Choose the correct CPT code — and, if needed, correct the times, which drive the units.
Click Verify Time, then finalize.
Changing the CPT code or units does not regenerate the note. The documentation stays as written; only the billing code or units update.
After the window: ask Alpaca to make the change
Once a session has moved downstream, reach out to Alpaca (support@alpacahealth.io or your rep) with the client, the session date, and the correction. What happens next depends on how far the session got:
Submitted to the payer: clinics cannot change it. Alpaca makes the correction on our side.
Billed: Alpaca updates the new CPT code or units on the Candid claim. This is a manual step today, not automatic.
Already paid to your clinic: Alpaca adds a manual adjustment to your payouts so the numbers reconcile.
Get it right the first time
Because corrections after billing are manual, review the session type and code before you sign, and catch any errors within the first couple of days. When in doubt about the right code, ask support before the session is billed.