Psych Billing, Broken Down: Maximizing Reimbursement—Legally, Ethically & Defensibly A Plain-English Coding & Documentation Guide for Psychiatric Providers
Psych Billing, Broken Down: Maximizing Billing Legally is the plain-English billing guide psychiatric providers have been looking for.
Psychiatric billing can feel unnecessarily complicated. What is the difference between 90792 and a new-patient E/M code? When can psychotherapy be billed with medication management? What actually supports 99214 or 99215? Can you bill for rating scales? What about crisis services, family sessions, interactive complexity, telehealth, screening services, or G2211?
Dr. Alina Smith breaks it down step by step-without the confusing billing jargon.
Designed for psychiatric nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, therapists, behavioral health clinicians, practice owners, billers, and other mental health professionals, this practical guide explains how to recognize services that may be separately billable, document them appropriately, and maximize legitimate reimbursement without crossing the line into upcoding or improper billing.
Inside, you'll learn how to:
Understand common psychiatric CPT and E/M codes in simple languageChoose between 90791, 90792, and new-patient E/M servicesDistinguish 99213, 99214, and 99215Properly combine E/M services with psychotherapy add-on codes such as 90833, 90836, and 90838Understand psychotherapy time requirements and avoid double-counting timeBill stand-alone psychotherapy, family therapy, group therapy, crisis services, and interactive complexity when appropriateRecognize opportunities involving behavioral health screening and assessment codesUnderstand telehealth place-of-service and modifier considerationsLearn where Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and commercial payer rules may differUse documentation language that clearly supports the services performedIdentify common reasons psychiatric claims are deniedBuild a cleaner, more defensible billing workflowBONUS: Money Left on the Table
See real-world examples of what psychiatric providers commonly bill compared with additional services they may legitimately capture when those services were actually performed, medically necessary, separately identifiable, and properly documented.
BONUS: Psychiatric Rating Scales
Learn which commonly used tools-including the PHQ-9, GAD-7, ASRS, Vanderbilt, MDQ, PCL-5, C-SSRS, AUDIT, DAST-10, EPDS, and others-can strengthen clinical assessment and when screening or assessment services may have billing implications.
This is not a book about billing more just because a code exists.
It is a guide to understanding what you performed, what you documented, what the payer allows, and what you may legally bill.
Whether you're opening a private practice, doing your own billing, supervising a behavioral health clinic, or simply wondering whether you're leaving legitimate reimbursement on the table, Psych Billing, Broken Down gives you a practical framework you can use visit by visit.
Bill what you did. Document what you did. Know the rules. Stop leaving legitimate revenue behind.
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