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Behavioral Health Billing Services

Session-based coding, authorization tracking, telehealth modifiers, incident-to billing. We handle all of it.

AAPC Certified
HIPAA Compliant
All 50 States
Starting at 2.49%
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HIPAA Compliant
AAPC Certified
4.9/5 Rating
300+ Practices
9083445-min
9083760-min
90791Eval
96130Testing

Why Behavioral Health Billing Requires Specialty Expertise

Behavioral health billing involves session-based CPT codes with strict time documentation, payer-specific authorization rules, telehealth modifier complexity, and provider type restrictions.

Common Behavioral Health CPT Codes

Our coders handle these behavioral health codes daily. This is not an exhaustive list.

Code
Description
90834
45-min
90837
60-min
90791
Eval
96130
Testing

Behavioral Health Billing Challenges We Solve

Common billing problems in behavioral health and how our team handles them.

Session Limit Tracking

Payers impose session limits. Missing re-auth means denied claims.

Telehealth Modifiers

Rules vary by payer, state, and service type.

Provider Type Restrictions

LCSWs, LPCs, MFTs each have different billing rules.

Psych Testing Coding

96130-96139 series with strict time documentation.

Common Behavioral Health Denial Reasons

We prevent these before submission and appeal aggressively when they occur.

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Payers impose session limits
!
Rules vary by payer, state, and service type
!
LCSWs, LPCs, MFTs each have different billing rules
!
96130-96139 series with strict time documentation

Revenue Opportunities Most Behavioral Health Practices Miss

Behavioral health practices consistently underutilize the E/M + psychotherapy add-on codes. When a psychiatrist spends 30 minutes on medication management and 25 minutes on psychotherapy in the same visit, the correct coding is 99214 + 90836 (add-on psychotherapy, 45 min). This combination reimburses $80 to $120 more than billing 90837 alone. For psychiatrists who see 15 patients per day, this optimization can add $100,000+ annually. Psychological testing (96130-96139) is another underutilized revenue source. The 2019 code changes simplified testing codes but many practices haven't updated their workflows. Proper time documentation and test-by-test reporting can significantly increase testing revenue.

Payer-Specific Behavioral Health Billing Tips

Behavioral health authorization is the most common denial category across all payers. Most commercial payers and Medicaid managed care plans limit therapy to a set number of sessions per authorization period (typically 12-20 sessions), after which re-authorization with updated treatment goals is required. Medicare does not require prior auth for outpatient behavioral health but does require medical necessity documentation. Telehealth behavioral health coverage expanded dramatically during COVID, and most of these expansions are now permanent. However, originating site and distant site requirements vary. We track which payers allow audio-only sessions, which require video, and which have geographic restrictions.

Behavioral Health Billing Best Practices

Practical tips from our coding team to maximize reimbursement and minimize denials.

1
Document session start and stop times for every therapy session — time documentation is required for 90834 (45 min) and 90837 (60 min) time-based codes.
2
Telehealth behavioral health sessions require place of service code 10 (telehealth in patient's home) and modifier 95 for most payers.
3
When a psychiatrist provides both medication management and therapy in the same visit, bill the E/M code with add-on psychotherapy code (90833, 90836, 90838).
4
Track authorized session counts per patient per payer in real-time — exceeding authorized sessions results in 100% denials that are not appealable.

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What We Handle for Behavioral Health Practices

Therapy session coding (90834, 90837)
Authorization and session tracking
Telehealth billing
Psych testing coding
Multi-provider billing
Credentialing for BH providers

Why Choose Go Medical Billing for Behavioral Health

We track authorized sessions in real-time and handle the telehealth modifier complexity across all payers.

We serve behavioral health practices in all 50 states, starting at 2.49% of collections. Our credentialing team handles payer enrollment, and our A/R specialists recover aging claims.

Behavioral Health Billing by State

We handle behavioral health billing in all 50 states. Select your state for location-specific payer details, Medicaid rules, and Medicare MAC policies.

CaliforniaTexasFloridaNew YorkPennsylvaniaIllinoisOhioGeorgiaNorth CarolinaMichiganNew JerseyVirginiaMassachusettsArizonaTennesseeMarylandIndianaMissouriWisconsinColorado
View all 50 states

Related Resources

Medical Billing & Coding ServicesA/R Recovery ServicesCredentialing & ContractingCase Studies & ResultsPricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Psychiatrists, psychologists, LCSWs, LPCs, MFTs, and BCBAs.
Correct POS codes, modifiers, and payer-specific rules for all 50 states.

Get Expert Behavioral Health Billing Support

Stop losing revenue to behavioral health coding errors and preventable denials. Call 888-701-6090 for a free billing assessment.

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