Coding references

Psychiatry and mental health: the codes and the rules.

Three tables for a psychiatric practice, each one a coder can check against the 2025 CMS and ICD-10-CM files, and the notes that come up every week.

2025 files

Reference, not billing advice. The practice's coder confirms every code before a claim goes out.

The tables.

The notes a coder repeats.

  • Psychotherapy with an E/M on the same day uses the add-on codes (90833, 90836, 90838) rather than 90832-90837; the E/M level is chosen without counting the therapy time.
  • Time thresholds: 90832 from 16 minutes, 90834 from 38, 90837 from 53.
  • Telehealth psychotherapy is reported with modifier 95 (audio and video) or 93 (audio only) where the payer allows audio-only.

Other specialties.

A receptionist that knows psychiatric calls.

Screening forms your clinicians approve, the on-call paged with answers, and every call booked or handed back as a task.