Mental Health Billing – Choosing the Right Couples Therapy CPT Code
If you work in the mental health field, chances are you will need to bill an insurance company at some point for your services. Therefore, it is essential that you understand CPT codes and how therapy services should be classified for acceptance by insurance companies and government healthcare reimbursement programs.
Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes are an invaluable asset to therapists, social workers and counselors who provide diagnosis and treatment services to patients. CPT codes enable clinicians to bill for their services accurately and efficiently while adhering to the regulations set out by insurance companies and government health care reimbursement programs.
A common error therapists make when billing is using an incorrect CPT code. This can lead to denied claims or even penalties from insurance companies.
When it comes to mental health services such as psychotherapy, counseling and social work, there are a variety of CPT codes you can use. Knowing which ones you should use and how to track them in patient records is essential for successful management.
CPT codes are five digits long and contain both numeric and alphanumeric characters. They are divided into four categories, each having its own coding process.
Our Mental Health Billing Guide contains all the CPT codes necessary for therapy – whether you need an individual, group or couples therapy code. With this comprehensive resource at your disposal, you won’t miss a beat when searching for your ideal therapy CPT code.
Utilizing the correct CPT code when filing insurance claims is essential. Without it, your claim could be rejected by an insurance company or government health care reimbursement program – leading to costly mistakes and having to resubmit another claim or deal with an audit. Upcoding could potentially make matters worse by complicating matters further by forcing you into another claim process or dealing with another audit.
Upcoding can also lead to insurance fraud, as it’s difficult to get reimbursed for a service that wasn’t actually rendered. If you are uncertain of the correct code to use for a particular service, consult your therapist about its specifics.
Therapists have the option of using add-on codes to extend their sessions and receive extra money from insurance companies. Before using any codes it’s essential that clients confirm with their specific plan if these services will be reimbursed by their plan.
Prolonged Service Codes are an invaluable addition to the family or couples therapy session CPT code 90837 and often utilized by therapists with long-term clients or working with multiple clients simultaneously. However, the American Medical Association recently clarified that these add-ons should only be utilized when an individual therapy session with that identified client has lasted at least 50 minutes in length.
