CPT codes are the foundation of mental health billing. If you’re a therapist, psychiatrist, or behavioral health clinician who accepts insurance or provides superbills, knowing how to use these codes correctly is essential. From selecting the right time-based code to applying modifiers for telehealth, CPT coding affects your revenue, compliance, and peace of mind.
This practical guide breaks down the most important mental health CPT codes, how to use them, and what to document to ensure clean claims and timely payment.
What Are CPT Codes in Mental Health?
CPT stands for Current Procedural Terminology. These are five-digit billing codes maintained by the American Medical Association. In mental health, CPT codes describe therapy sessions, psychiatric evaluations, crisis intervention, and psychological testing.
Each code corresponds to a specific type of service and, in many cases, a time range. Insurance payers use these codes to determine what they will reimburse for your services.
Using the correct CPT code ensures:
- Accurate and full reimbursement
- Reduced risk of denials and audits
- Clear documentation for compliance
- Ethical billing aligned with service delivery
Most Common Mental Health CPT Codes
Below are the core codes that therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists use daily in outpatient settings.
Diagnostic Evaluations
- 90791 Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation (no medical services)
- 90792 Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation with medical services (for prescribers)
Individual Psychotherapy
- 90832 Psychotherapy 30 minutes (16–37 minutes)
- 90834 Psychotherapy 45 minutes (38–52 minutes)
- 90837 Psychotherapy 60 minutes (53+ minutes)
The code used must match the documented face-to-face time spent in therapy.
Family and Group Therapy
- 90846 Family psychotherapy without the patient present
- 90847 Family psychotherapy with the patient present
- 90853 Group psychotherapy (non-family group)
Crisis Intervention
- 90839 Psychotherapy for crisis (first 60 minutes)
- +90840 Each additional 30 minutes for extended crisis intervention
Crisis codes require documentation of the acute situation and justification for the time.
Psychotherapy With Medication Management
These add-on codes are used by prescribers when psychotherapy and medical evaluation are provided in the same session.
- +90833 30 minutes of psychotherapy with E/M service
- +90836 45 minutes
- +90838 60 minutes
These must be billed with an E/M code such as 99213 or 99214, along with modifier 25.
Codes for Behavioral Health Integration and Collaborative Care
Integrated care models are gaining popularity. These CPT codes support services like care coordination, remote monitoring, and collaborative care between medical and behavioral health providers.
- 99484 General behavioral health integration (20 minutes of care management)
- 99492 Initial psychiatric collaborative care management (first 70 minutes in the first month)
- 99493 Ongoing collaborative care (60 minutes in subsequent months)
- 99494 Additional 30 minutes for complex collaborative care
- G0323 Used when services are provided by licensed clinical social workers or psychologists
These codes support care teams working together to manage a patient’s mental health more effectively.
Telehealth and Audio-Only Billing
Remote mental health services are now a permanent and essential part of care. Providers can bill most standard CPT codes for telehealth with the proper modifier and place-of-service code.
What to Know:
- Use the same CPT codes as in-person sessions (e.g. 90834)
- Append modifier 95 for video sessions
- Use modifier 93 for audio-only sessions (if allowed by the payer)
- POS 10 = patient at home
- POS 02 = patient in another location
Always document patient consent and that the service was delivered using a secure HIPAA-compliant platform.
Key Modifiers for Mental Health Billing
Modifiers help explain how a service was delivered or why it should be paid differently. Missing or misusing modifiers is one of the top reasons for claims being denied.
- 95 Telehealth via audio and video
- 93 Audio-only telehealth (when allowed)
- 25 Significant separate E/M service on the same day as psychotherapy
- 59 Distinct procedural service (used when services are not typically billed together)
- 22 Increased procedural service (for unusually complex or extended sessions)
Apply modifiers only when justified and always support them in your documentation.
Time-Based Documentation Tips
Many CPT codes in mental health are time-based. Documentation should always include:
- Start and end time of the session
- Total duration
- Type of service provided
- Methods or interventions used
- Clinical reasoning for session length
Especially for longer sessions (like 90837 or crisis codes), include why the time was necessary for patient care.
Common Billing Mistakes to Avoid
- Rounding up the session time and selecting the wrong code
- Using crisis codes for routine care
- Leaving off telehealth modifiers or using incorrect POS codes
- Billing add-on codes alone without the required primary code
- Failing to document time and clinical content clearly
Staying consistent with accurate coding and note-taking protects your license, reputation, and revenue.
Should You Handle Billing Yourself or Outsource?
If you’re a solo practitioner or running a small group, billing can quickly become overwhelming. Managing claims, modifiers, payer rules, and denials is time-consuming and prone to errors.
Outsourcing to a mental health-specific billing service can reduce stress, improve claim accuracy, and free up more time for clinical work. Steady Medical Billing offers specialized mental health billing services designed to support therapists, psychologists, and prescribers with clean claim submission and optimized reimbursement.
If you prefer to keep billing in-house, make sure to:
- Stay up to date with each payer’s policies
- Use billing software with built-in CPT and modifier validation
- Review each claim thoroughly before submission
- Track denial patterns and address recurring issues
Whether you manage billing internally or outsource, having a strong grasp of CPT coding keeps you in control of your revenue cycle and ensures compliance.
Final Thoughts
Mastering CPT codes in mental health is not just about getting paid. It’s about running an ethical, compliant, and financially stable practice. Whether you see clients in person or online, whether you’re solo or part of a team, using the correct CPT code for each session matters.
Stick with the codes that match your service. Use modifiers when needed. Document thoroughly. And never hesitate to get help from professionals if billing becomes a burden.
Looking for a quick-reference CPT code cheat sheet or telehealth billing checklist? Reach out and we’ll send one your way.
