Mental Health Billing Services
Behavioral health billing for therapists, counselors, psychologists and psychiatric providers — with time-based coding, authorization tracking and telehealth rules handled for you.
Therapy Billing Is Time-Based, Authorization-Heavy and Easy to Get Wrong
Mental health claims look simple but deny for small reasons: a 90837 without enough documented minutes, an add-on code billed without its primary E/M, a session after the authorization expired, or a provider type the payer does not credential. Many behavioral health practices are also carved out to separate managed behavioral health plans with their own payer IDs and rules.
AccMed RCM bills for behavioral health practices every day. We check time, codes, authorizations and payer carve-outs before each claim goes out, and follow up on every denial.
What we handle
- Psychotherapy, family, group and crisis codes billed by documented time
- Psychiatric evaluations and E/M with psychotherapy add-on codes
- Authorization and visit-limit tracking for every patient
- Behavioral health carve-out plans and their payer IDs
- Telehealth POS and modifiers for virtual sessions
- Credentialing for psychologists, LCSWs, LPCs, LMFTs and PMHNPs
Common Mental Health CPT Codes We Bill
| Code | Service | Billing watch-out |
|---|---|---|
| 90791 / 90792 | Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation (without / with medical services) | Frequency limits; 90792 only for providers who can perform medical services |
| 90832 / 90834 / 90837 | Psychotherapy, about 30 / 45 / 60 minutes | Time thresholds (16–37, 38–52, 53+ minutes) must be documented |
| 90833 / 90836 / 90838 | Psychotherapy add-on with an E/M visit | Must be billed with an E/M code; time is separate from the E/M |
| 90846 / 90847 | Family psychotherapy without / with the patient | Medical necessity tied to the patient’s treatment |
| 90853 | Group psychotherapy | Billed per patient in the group |
| 90785 | Interactive complexity add-on | Only with specific primary codes and documented reasons |
Related Services
Mental Health Billing: Common Questions
Which mental health CPT codes do you bill?
All common behavioral health codes, including 90791 and 90792 diagnostic evaluations, 90832, 90834 and 90837 psychotherapy, 90833, 90836 and 90838 psychotherapy add-ons with E/M, 90846 and 90847 family therapy, 90853 group therapy, 90785 interactive complexity and psychiatric E/M visits.
Why do 90837 claims get denied or reviewed so often?
90837 (60-minute psychotherapy) pays more than 90834, so many payers watch it closely. Documentation must show start and stop times or total time of at least 53 minutes, and some plans limit how often it can be billed. We check time documentation before submission.
Can Medicare pay licensed counselors and marriage and family therapists?
Yes. Since January 2024, Medicare covers services from licensed mental health counselors (MHCs) and marriage and family therapists (MFTs) who are enrolled with Medicare. We handle that enrollment.
Do you handle prior authorizations and visit limits?
Yes. We track authorization numbers, approved visit counts and expiration dates so sessions are not delivered after an authorization runs out.
Do you bill for group practices and solo therapists?
Both. We work with solo therapists, group counseling practices, psychiatric NP practices and psychiatry groups, in person and via telehealth.
Get Paid for Every Session
Our free audit reviews your recent therapy claims for time, code and authorization problems.