Family Psychotherapy Billing: When to Use 90846 vs 90847
90846 vs 90847 comes down to one question: was the patient in the room? Use 90847 when the identified patient takes part in the family session, and 90846 when you meet with family members without the patient. Both codes describe about 50 minutes of family psychotherapy aimed at treating the patient’s condition. This guide covers […]
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How to Bill Crisis Psychotherapy With 90839 and 90840
Crisis psychotherapy billing uses 90839 for the first 60 minutes of crisis care and add-on 90840 for each additional 30 minutes. The codes apply only when the patient’s problem is urgent and either life-threatening or highly complex. This guide covers the crisis definition, time rules, Medicare’s G0017 and G0018 codes, what cannot be billed alongside, […]
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LMFT Credentialing for Medicare, Medicaid and Commercial Plans
LMFT credentialing is the process of getting a licensed marriage and family therapist approved by Medicare, Medicaid and commercial health plans so claims pay at in-network rates. Since January 1, 2024, marriage and family therapists (MFTs) can enroll in Medicare and bill it directly, which added a new track to every LMFT’s file. This guide […]
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Medicare Advantage Credentialing for Behavioral Health Providers
Medicare Advantage credentialing is the separate review each Medicare Advantage (MA) plan runs before a therapist, psychologist or psychiatric prescriber can join its network. Enrolling in Original Medicare does not put you in any MA network, so each plan needs its own application and contract. This guide covers how MA credentialing differs, what plans verify, […]
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PMHNP Credentialing for Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners
PMHNP credentialing gets a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner approved to bill Medicare, Medicaid and commercial plans under their own NPI. It covers more ground than therapist credentialing, because payers also check prescribing authority and DEA registration. This guide covers the credential stack, Medicare’s NP rules, the own-NPI versus incident-to choice, a step-by-step workflow, payer […]
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Psychologist Credentialing for Medicare and Insurance Panels
Psychologist credentialing is the work of getting a licensed psychologist approved by Medicare, Medicaid and commercial plans so sessions and testing pay in network. For Medicare, the key choice is enrolling as a clinical psychologist, which comes with a physician consultation rule most other therapists do not face. This guide covers the two Medicare designations, […]
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Psychotherapy Add-On Codes With E/M: 90833, 90836 and 90838
Psychotherapy add-on codes 90833, 90836 and 90838 report therapy delivered during the same visit as an evaluation and management (E/M) service. You bill the E/M code first, then add the code that matches the minutes of psychotherapy. This guide covers the time ranges, who can bill them, how to pick the E/M level, what to […]
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Mental Health Provider Credentialing: A Step-by-Step Guide
Mental health provider credentialing is how health plans confirm a clinician’s license, training and history before adding them to a network. Every license type follows the same core path, but Medicare, Medicaid and commercial plans each apply their own rules. This guide walks through the steps, shows what changes for each type of clinician, and […]
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How Mental Health Credentialing Works for Therapists and Groups
Mental health credentialing is how insurance payers confirm a clinician’s license, training, and professional history before adding that clinician to their network. Most practices should plan for several months between the first application and the first payable claim, so the work starts well before the first insured session. This guide covers who needs credentialing, the […]
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90837 vs 90834: Choosing the Right Psychotherapy Code
Bill 90834 when you deliver 38 to 52 minutes of psychotherapy, and 90837 when you deliver 53 minutes or more. The code follows the minutes you actually spent in psychotherapy, not the length of the appointment slot. This guide compares 90837 vs 90834, shows how to document each visit, and explains where payers push back […]
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