E/M with a psychotherapy add-on
When a psychiatrist provides therapy in the same visit as medical management, add-on codes 90833, 90836, or 90838 attach to the E/M service. The note has to show the therapy separately from the medication work.
Psychiatry claims mix medical visits and therapy time
One psychiatric visit can carry an E/M code, a psychotherapy add-on, and a medication decision in the same note. Taiga works with mental health practices, drafting codes from those notes for your approval and working every denial through appeal.
Book a demoThree billing patterns in psychiatry
Most psychiatric practices use all three. Each has its own documentation test.
Consulting for primary care
In Medicare's psychiatric collaborative care model, the treating practice bills monthly codes such as 99492 and 99493 with a psychiatric consultant on the team. The consultant's arrangement is set between the practices.
Geriatric psychiatry and Medicare
Older patients bring Medicare rules, secondary coverage, and visits in facilities or by telehealth. Place of service and coverage checks carry more weight on these panels.
How the work divides
Prescribing and clinical judgment stay with your psychiatrists. Billing follows their notes.
Kept by the practice
Visit notes, prescribing records, and final approval of every E/M level and add-on before submission.
Taken on by Taiga
Code drafting from notes, claim scrubbing against payer rules, eligibility checks, patient statements, and denial and appeal work on every claim.
Decided together
Collaborative care agreements, facility rounds, and telehealth-only lines each need an agreed owner and a clear claim path.
Prepare for a psychiatry fit call
De-identified visit examples help most. The booking form should not include patient information.
How are visits structured?
Estimate the share of medication management visits, visits with therapy add-ons, and new evaluations.
Who else bills under the practice?
List nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and therapists, with their enrollment status for each payer.
Where do patients come from?
Note Medicare and Medicare Advantage volume, facility work, and any consult agreements with primary care.
Who this fits
Independent psychiatry practices, including geriatric psychiatry, that want an experienced billing team without changing EHRs. Taiga can take over open A/R or run in parallel while you switch.
Scope note
CPT rules for add-on codes and collaborative care shift with annual updates, and payers apply them differently. This page describes common patterns, not coding advice for a specific visit.
Questions about psychiatry billing
Does Taiga work with psychiatry practices?
Yes. Psychiatry is part of the mental health work Taiga supports. Bring your visit mix and payers so the team can confirm the details.
Can we bill psychotherapy and an E/M visit on the same day?
Yes. When the psychiatrist performs both, the psychotherapy is reported with an add-on code alongside the E/M service, and the note needs to support each part.
Who bills collaborative care when we consult for a primary care practice?
Medicare pays the treating practitioner for psychiatric collaborative care codes such as 99492 through 99494. The consultant's role is usually set by agreement with that practice.
Can Taiga handle geriatric psychiatry patients on Medicare?
Taiga checks eligibility, submits claims, and works denials and appeals. Bring examples of facility and telehealth visits so the team can confirm how those claims would run.
Bring your psychiatry visit mix
Show Taiga a typical month of visits and payers, and get a straight answer on how the work would run.
System guides show possible billing handoffs, not proven specialty compatibility.