What is the typical psychiatry billing process?

The psychiatry billing process follows seven core steps: provider credentialing and enrollment with payers, patient intake and insurance eligibility verification, prior authorization management, accurate coding and clinical documentation, claim scrubbing and submission through a clearinghouse, payment posting and patient invoicing, and denial management with AR follow-up.

How long does psychiatry credentialing take for a new practice?

Expect the credentialing process to take anywhere from 60 to 180 days, depending on the payer and whether your CAQH profile and PECOS enrollment are complete before you begin. Medicare PECOS enrollment alone typically takes 60 to 90 days.

What are the most common psychiatry billing codes?

The most frequently used codes in psychiatry billing include 90791 (psychiatric diagnostic evaluation without medical services), 90792 (diagnostic evaluation with medical services), 99213 and 99214 (office E/M visits for established patients), and the psychotherapy add-on codes 90833, 90836, and 90838.

Why do mental health claims get denied?

The most common reasons mental health claims are denied include: missing or expired prior authorization, incorrect or missing telehealth modifiers, time-based coding that doesn't match the documented clinical note, behavioral health carve-out billing errors, bundling errors with add-on psychotherapy codes, and timely filing violations.

Can a solo psychiatrist do their own medical billing?

Technically yes — but practically, it's one of the most expensive decisions a solo provider can make. The time spent on billing is time not spent on clinical care, and billing errors by non-specialists result in denied claims, timely filing losses, and underpayments that are often never recovered.