CPT® 90832 is the code for an individual psychotherapy session of 16–37 minutes (commonly called a “30-minute” therapy visit) with a patient. 1 2 It is used when the encounter’s focus is psychotherapy (counseling, talk therapy) rather than a medical evaluation or medication management. 3 1 In practice, use 90832 only when at least 16 minutes of face-to-face therapy is provided; do not report it for shorter encounters.4
Definition: “Psychotherapy, 30 minutes with patient” – 16–37 minutes of one-on-one therapy. 2 1
When to use: When counseling/talk therapy is the primary service. If an E/M exam or pharmacologic management dominates, use the appropriate E/M or add-on codes instead. 3 5
Documentation: Record the start and stop times or total time of the session. 2 Document patient issues addressed, therapy techniques used, and progress toward goals. Thorough clinical notes support the use of a psychotherapy code.
Providers: Most mental health professionals can bill 90832 if licensed. Medicare Part B and most commercial plans cover psychotherapy by psychiatrists (physicians), psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurse practitioners (CNS/NP), physician assistants, marriage & family therapists, and licensed mental health counselors. Medicare explicitly lists psychiatrists, psychologists, CSWs, CNSs, NPs, PAs, MFTs, and counselors as covered. 6 3 In private practice or clinics, any qualified provider with the appropriate license and credentials may bill 90832 under their specialty.
Settings: Psychotherapy codes are site-neutral: 90832 is payable in all outpatient settings (office, clinic, community mental health center, etc.) It can be used for services at an outpatient mental health center, hospital clinic, or private practice. (Inpatient or partial hospitalization settings use other procedure codes.) There is no facility fee issue – the professional fee applies regardless of place-of-service. 2
CPT 90832 is a time-based code. You must document the duration of therapy:
Timing: By CPT definition, the session must be 16 to 37 minutes. Record start/end times or the total face-to-face time. 4 Do not bill 90832 if you spent under 16 minutes. If the session exceeds 37 minutes, use a longer psychotherapy code (90834 for 38–52 min, 90837 for 53+ min). 1
Notes: The clinical note should reflect the elements of psychotherapy: patient’s symptoms or goals, interventions/therapeutic techniques, patient response, and treatment plan updates. Be explicit that counseling (not, e.g., a generic check-in) was provided.
Compliance: Time-tracking protects against audits; Medicare guidance requires documenting start/stop or total time for 90832 (and 90834/90837). For psychotherapy with E/M (90833/90836/90838), CMS recognizes that timing may not be exact. 4
Units per day: Only one unit of 90832 is billed per patient per day. You cannot split a day into multiple 90832 units. If multiple therapy segments occur, total the time.
Co-billing with E/M: Psychotherapy and E/M are separate services. Report 90832 only if psychotherapy is the dominant service. If you provide a standard E/M exam (e.g. a medical evaluation) plus counseling, bill an E/M code (e.g. 99213) and the psych add-on 90833 (which requires the E/M as primary) rather than billing 90832. CMS specifies that psychotherapy codes without E/M (90832, 90834, 90837) are for sessions without a formal medical exam. 3
Medical management add-on: If the provider (MD/NP/PA) also manages medications during the therapy session, bill add-on 90863 in addition to 90832. 5 (90863 covers prescription review after psychotherapy.)
Interactive complexity (90785): If communication is unusually complex (e.g. high patient anxiety/anger, multiple participants, significant translator use), report add-on 90785 with 90832. 3 90785 is only valid when specific criteria are documented.
Crisis therapy: Crisis codes (90839/90840) are separate. You cannot bill 90832 on the same day as a crisis session (90839/90840). 3
Family/group therapy: Do not use 90832 for family-only therapy (use 90846/90847) or group sessions (90853). 90832 is individual therapy.
Incident-to rules: In Medicare, non-physician providers may bill under their own NPI for 90832 without “incident-to” if they are credentialed. (Incident-to billing is more relevant when billing under a physician’s NPI.)
Payer policies: Major insurers generally mirror Medicare for psychotherapy coverage. Commercial plans may have small differences (e.g. referral requirements, prior auth, or network restrictions), but 90832 is widely recognized. It’s wise to verify each payer’s requirements (e.g. some Medicaid plans or EAPs limit session counts).
90832 is telehealth-eligible and covers both in-person and virtual therapy. Medicare permanently pays 90832 via telehealth (video) with patient at home. 1 Most commercial insurers also allow 90832 for synchronous video visits. For example, Aetna lists 90832 among its covered telemedicine codes. 7 (Telehealth services must use an audiovisual connection; CPT does not allow audio-only for 90832 under Medicare rules.)
Modifiers/Place of Service: Report 90832 with the telehealth modifier (usually 95 or GT) and the proper place-of-service code. CMS now directs providers to use POS 02 (telehealth) for home services (POS 02 or 10 may vary by payer, though Medicare advises POS 02). Some private payers allow either POS 11 with a telehealth modifier or POS 02. Always follow payer instructions. Aetna, for example, requires modifier GT/95 on telehealth codes. 7
Parity: Many states have telehealth parity laws for behavioral health, meaning insurers must reimburse teletherapy at the same rate as in-person. Medicare sets the national rate. Generally, telehealth 90832 is reimbursed at the same fee schedule value as in-office, so the clinician’s payment is unchanged (other than potential cost savings).
CPT 90832 is part of a family of psychotherapy codes that vary by duration and service content:
90834 (45 min) – Psychotherapy, 38–52 minutes, no medical eval. 1 Use when therapy exceeds 37 minutes but under 53.
90837 (60 min) – Psychotherapy, 53+ minutes, no medical eval. 1 Use for sessions of roughly an hour.
90833/90836/90838 (30/45/60 min w/E&M) – These are add-on codes used with an E/M service (e.g. a psychiatrist’s 99214). 2 If you have performed an E/M exam during the session, use 90833 (30 min), 90836 (45 min), or 90838 (60 min) with the E/M, instead of 90832–90837.
90846/90847 (50 min family therapy) – For family therapy (90847 if patient present, 90846 without patient) of about 50 minutes. (Not used with 90832.)
90853 (45–60 min group therapy) – For group therapy sessions.
90839/90840 (crisis) – For urgent/crisis psychotherapy; 90839 covers the first 60 minutes of a crisis session, 90840 covers each additional 30 minutes. 3 Do not bill crisis codes with 90832.
90863 (pharmacologic mgmt) – Add-on for medication management during therapy (as noted above). 5
90785 (interactive complexity) – Add-on for sessions with special communication factors. 2
CPT 90791/90792 – These are diagnostic evaluations (initial psychiatric assessment) and should be used at initial intake or major evals, not with 90832.
Time: 90832 is the shortest individual therapy code. If you typically spend 45 min, use 90834; if an hour, use 90837.
Billing: You cannot bill 90832 and 90834 on the same day; instead choose the code that matches total time.
With vs. without E/M: If you also do a formal medical evaluation (common for MD/NP), bill the E/M code plus 90833, not 90832. For counselors or LCSWs, “with medical eval” codes are rarely used (they generally just bill 90832 if therapy is the service).
E/M Services: You may provide both an E/M service (e.g. a medication check or diagnostic visit) and a therapy session on the same day only if both are significant and documented separately. For example, a patient who receives 15 minutes of medication management and 25 minutes of therapy could result in an E/M code (e.g. 99214) plus add-on 90833 (for the 30 min of therapy). Do not bill 99214 and 90832 together without 90833; Medicare expects 90833 to be the psych add-on for 30 min. A separate diagnosis for the E/M vs psychotherapy is not required. 3
90785 (Interactive Complexity): If the session involves complicating factors (e.g. patient’s speech is hard to understand, a third party like a translator or protective services is involved, or the patient is very anxious/agitated), add 90785. 3 Document why the complexity code applies.
Pharmacologic Add-On (90863): As noted, if you review or prescribe meds during the visit in addition to therapy, bill 90863 along with 90832. 5
Incidental Services: CPT codes 90885, 90887, and 90889 (reporting psychological test interpretation, adaptive behavior, etc.) are considered incidental to psychotherapy and are not separately payable in addition to 90832. 3 Only bill the add-ons (90785, 90863) as indicated.
CPT 90832 (30-minute psychotherapy) provides a flexible, reimbursable option for shorter therapy visits. For clinicians, it ensures that any focused counseling time is captured and paid for, even if the session is less than the standard 45–60 minutes. This flexibility can improve scheduling and access: clinicians can offer shorter follow-ups or partial session visits when appropriate. For patients, 90832 coverage (including via telehealth) means they can receive timely psychotherapy without requiring a full-hour commitment. Telehealth parity further ensures remote therapy is financially viable. The combination of 90832 with add-on codes (e.g. 90785, 90863) allows billing to reflect the true complexity of a patient’s care. In sum, using 90832 properly aligns reimbursement with the actual service provided and supports patient access to behavioral health treatment.
Citations:
Telehealth.HHS.gov - Billing for telebehavioral health (2025) https://telehealth.hhs.gov/providers/best-practice-guides/telehealth-for-behavioral-health/billing-for-telebehavioral-health
American Medical Association - Telehealth services covered by Medicare and included in CPT code set https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/telehealth-services-covered-by-medicare-and-included-in-cpt-code-set.pdf
CMS - Billing and Coding: Psychiatry and Psychology Services (A57480) https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleId=57480
CMS - Billing and Coding: Psychiatric Diagnostic Evaluation and Psychotherapy Services (A57520) https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleId=57520&LCDId=33252&DocID=L33252
CMS - Billing and Coding: Outpatient Psychiatry and Psychology Services (A57065) https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=57065&ver=17
Medicare.gov - Outpatient Mental Health Coverage https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/mental-health-care-outpatient
Aetna - Telemedicine https://www.aetna.com/content/dam/aetna/pdfs/aetnacom/pdf/telemedicine.pdf
Blue Cross NC - Telehealth Reimbursement Policy https://www.bluecrossnc.com/content/dam/bcbsnc/pdf/providers/policies-guidelines-codes/policies/commercial/reimbursement/telehealth.pdf
