Why Behavioral Health billing is different.
Behavioral Health billing expertise.
- Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation billing
- Psychotherapy coding by session time
- Psychotherapy add-on codes with E/M services
- Group and family therapy billing
- Telehealth billing with correct modifiers and place of service
- Collaborative care and integrated behavioral health codes
- Session authorization tracking
- Credentialing with carve-out networks
Common Behavioral Health codes we work with.
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
90791 | Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation |
90834 | Psychotherapy, 45 minutes with patient |
90837 | Psychotherapy, 60 minutes with patient |
90833 | Psychotherapy, 30 minutes with patient when performed with an E/M service (add-on) |
90853 | Group psychotherapy (other than of a multiple-family group) |
99492 | Initial psychiatric collaborative care management, first 70 minutes in the first calendar month |
CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Codes shown are examples; correct coding depends on documentation and payer policy.
Our processBehavioral Health billing process.
Intake and Eligibility
- Identifying carve-out behavioral health payers
- Benefit verification for therapy and psychiatry
- Authorization and session limit tracking
- Telehealth coverage checks
Coding
- Session time verification for psychotherapy codes
- E/M plus psychotherapy add-on coding
- Telehealth modifiers and place of service
- Diagnosis coding to DSM and ICD-10 standards
Claim Submission
- Routing claims to the correct carve-out payer
- Scrubbing for frequency and authorization edits
- Rendering provider credentialing checks
- Timely electronic submission
Denial Management
- Authorization and session limit appeals
- Credentialing-related denial resolution
- Telehealth denial corrections
- Patient balance follow-up
Reporting
- Sessions and revenue by clinician
- Authorization utilization
- Payer reimbursement comparisons
- No-show impact on revenue
Behavioral Health billing FAQs.
How is psychotherapy time coded?
Psychotherapy codes are selected by face-to-face time with the patient: 16 to 37 minutes for 90832, 38 to 52 minutes for 90834 and 53 minutes or more for 90837. Start and stop times or total time should be documented in every note.
What is a carve-out payer?
Some health plans contract behavioral health benefits to a separate company with its own network and claims address. We identify these carve-outs at intake so claims go to the right payer the first time.
How do you bill telehealth sessions?
Telehealth rules vary by payer, including which modifier and place of service code to use. We maintain payer-specific rules so virtual sessions are billed correctly.
Can psychiatrists bill therapy with medication management?
Yes. The E/M service is billed for medication management and a psychotherapy add-on code is billed when therapy time is separate and documented.