Medicine: Psychiatry (Q&A) (March 2017)

March 2017 page 11a Medicine: Psychiatry Question: If a provider spends 20 minutes providing psychotherapy services to the patient's family without the patient being present, is it appropriate to report code 90846 with a reduced modifier appended? Answer: No. It is not appropriate to append modifier 52 (Reduced Services) to time-based codes. Code 90846, Family psychotherapy (without the patient present), 50 minutes, requires a minimum of 26 minutes and therefore cannot be reported for 20 minutes of service. Question: Our licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) provides dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) intervention during group therapy, and another qualified health...

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Note:  The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AMA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.

Article Overview

This article reviews psychiatry billing questions from a March 2017 CPT Assistant Q&A. It focuses on general coding guidance for psychotherapy-related services, including time-based reporting, family and group psychotherapy, and the use of modifiers in specific documentation scenarios. The content is relevant to behavioral health coders, psychiatry practices, and billing staff seeking clarification on how these services are discussed in CPT guidance.

Why This Topic Matters

Psychiatry coding often involves nuanced service definitions, time requirements, and modifier use. This Q&A helps readers understand the scope of the guidance being discussed before reviewing the full premium article.

Article Sections

  1. March 2017 page 11a

    Introductory article location information and the psychiatry Q&A topic area.

  2. Question and answer: family psychotherapy reporting

    A billing question involving psychotherapy services delivered to family members and the related modifier discussion.

  3. Question and answer: group psychotherapy reporting

    A billing question involving multiple group therapy encounters on the same day and the related modifier discussion.

What You Will Learn

  • How the article frames psychiatry coding questions in a Q&A format
  • What general psychotherapy reporting topics are addressed
  • How modifier use is discussed in relation to time-based and group services
  • Which kinds of behavioral health documentation scenarios the article reviews

Who Should Read This

  • Psychiatry coders
  • Behavioral health billing staff
  • Clinical documentation specialists
  • Revenue cycle professionals
  • Providers involved in psychotherapy documentation

Codes Discussed

Modifiers Discussed


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