Outpatient Facility Coding Alert - 2015 Issue 15
Mental Health Coding: Avoid Billing Add-on Codes With Other Add-on Codes
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Article Overview
This article reviews several practical mental health coding topics for Part B and outpatient settings. It addresses how add-on and prolonged service reporting is discussed in the context of psychotherapy and E/M, what is generally involved in Medicare home health certification and care plan oversight for psychiatrists, and how payer coverage and reporting considerations may apply to EMDR. It is aimed at coders, billers, and mental health practices looking for high-level guidance on where these services fit within current coding frameworks.
Why This Topic Matters
Mental health billing often involves specialty-specific rules and payer variation that can affect whether services are reported correctly and paid. Understanding the broad scope of these issues helps practices assess relevance before reviewing the full article.
Article Sections
-
Can You Use Prolonged Service Codes With Psychotherapy?
Discusses the relationship between psychotherapy reporting and prolonged service reporting in the context of outpatient and evaluation-and-management services. It also references CCI and CPT guidance at a high level.
-
Do Home Health Certs Differ for Mental Health Providers?
Covers Medicare home health certification and care plan oversight questions for psychiatrists. It also touches on documentation, physician involvement, and the role of a Medicare administrative contractor.
-
Should You Count on EMDR Payment?
Reviews EMDR as a psychotherapy approach and discusses payer variability, licensing or authorization considerations, and general reporting framework questions. It also notes that coverage may differ across insurers.
What You Will Learn
- How the article frames psychotherapy reporting alongside prolonged service concepts
- What general Medicare home health certification and care plan oversight topics are addressed for psychiatrists
- How EMDR coverage and reporting are described at a high level across payers
- Which organizations and guidance sources are mentioned in relation to the topics
- What types of billing and documentation issues the article says mental health practices should review
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Medical billers
- Psychiatry and behavioral health practices
- Revenue cycle staff
- Compliance staff
Codes Discussed
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.


Quick, Current, Complete - www.findacode.com