Can I bill two therapy sessions on the same day?
Asked by: Melyssa Johns | Last update: May 29, 2025Score: 5/5 (25 votes)
Can I bill for two visits on the same day?
If you see a patient in separate settings on the same date of service, you should not add the time together, even if you were accustomed to billing that way for years. Instead, you can report two separate E/M codes with modifier 25 appended.
Can 90837 be billed twice in one day?
You can only bill 90837 for a maximum of one session per day for the same client. The therapy session must focus solely on psychotherapy—not combined with other evaluations or services. You must also document the start and end times of the psychotherapy portion of the session in the patient's medical record.
Can two therapists bill at the same time?
A: Group therapy is commonly co-facilitated, but according to Frager, “only one therapist can bill for it. Period. No wiggle room there. It's customary that the second (non-billing) therapist is reimbursed something for his/her time by the billing therapist” or organization.
Can you bill family therapy and individual therapy on the same day?
Technically, these family/conjoint codes are designed as adjuvant to doing individual therapy with the identified patient who has a clinical diagnosis per the DSM (eg, not V codes). But you can't bill them on the same day as an individual therapy session; it's something you would do on some other day.
Here Is What You Need To Know When Billing Psychotherapy Sessions
Can you do two types of therapy at the same time?
Some people want to try different therapy modalities. For example, one of the most common treatments for anxiety and depression is cognitive behavioral therapy, but someone might want to participate in cognitive behavioral therapy, individual psychotherapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy at the same time.
How do you bill a 2 hour therapy session?
How do you bill a 2-hour therapy session? For a 2-hour therapy session, you can use 90837 CPT code for the first 60 minutes and 90838 CPT code for each additional 30 minutes. This method adheres to standard therapy billing units and ensures appropriate compensation for extended sessions.
Can you bill two clients at the same time?
Double billing is not a shortcut to more billable hours, and it contradicts ethical guidelines. While it may be tempting to bill multiple clients for shared legal services, it undermines professional integrity and client trust.
How to bill for concurrent therapy?
For concurrent therapy, SLPs should bill the same CPT codes they would report for individual therapy. For example, report CPT code 92507 (treatment of speech, language, voice, communication, and/or auditory processing disorders, individual) for each patient participating in concurrent treatment.
Will my insurance let me see two therapists?
Insurance might not cover sessions with multiple therapists. Clients should review their insurance policies carefully. Out-of-pocket costs can add up, making it financially taxing. It's important to assess whether the additional expense is sustainable long-term.
Can you bill 2 units of 90834?
To report prolonged services, [therapists] may now report two units of 90834, individual psychotherapy for 45 minutes, for … 90 minutes. When providing prolonged services beyond 50 minutes for 90847, family therapy with the patient present, report two units also.
What is the modifier for two visits in one day?
CPT Modifier 76: 'Repeat procedure by same physician: The physician may need to indicate that a service was repeated the same day subsequent to the original service. This modifier indicates the difference between duplicate services and repeated services.
Can you have 2 hour therapy sessions?
Can a therapy session be 2 hours? Yes, it's possible for therapy sessions to last this long. Individuals in intensive therapy programs, such as Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) or Substance Abuse Comprehensive Outpatient Treatment (SACOT) might meet with a therapist for longer periods.
Why is double billing illegal?
Law. In law, double billing refers to charging an hourly rate to two clients for the same time spent working. The American Bar Association prohibits double billing. It is tantamount to overcharging, since the amount of time actually spent working on any one client's work is less than the amount billed to that client.
How do you avoid double billing?
If both professionals charge for overlapping time without a clear distinction, it may lead to double billing concerns. To avoid this, firms should ensure clear communication and structured billing practices that track individual contributions accurately.
Can CPT 99285 be billed twice on the same day?
E&M codes 99284 and 99285 are not reimbursable together or more than once to the same provider, for the same recipient and date of service. Instead, providers should use code 99283 to bill for second and subsequent recipient visits on the same date of service.
How many times can you bill 90837?
CPT code 90837 is another one of the most common CPT codes used by mental health professionals along with 90834 and 90791. Its typical use is for a normal psychotherapy session with a client. Insurers will reimburse this code only once per day, and some only as frequently as twice per week.
What are the CMS guidelines for concurrent therapy?
Concurrent therapy is defined by CMS as the treatment of two residents who are not performing the same or similar activities, at the same time, regardless of payer source, both of whom must be in line-of sight of the treating therapist or assistant. No more than two residents can be seen concurrently.
What is concurrent billing?
Concurrent coding is a process whereby medical codes are assigned to patient medical charts throughout their stay at the hospital, rather than after they are discharged from the hospital. The process is an effective one that speeds up the billing cycle and prevents coding backlog.
Can you bill 2 visits same day?
What is the modifier for two visits on the same day? The modifier commonly used for reporting two E&M visits on the same day is modifier 25. It signifies a significant, separately identifiable E&M service provided by the same healthcare professional on the same day.
Is double charging illegal?
Explanation: Double-billing is when a business charges two different customers for the same service or product. This is unethical and can lead to legal consequences. In example 1, the restaurant charged two customers for the same meal, which is not fair to either customer.
What is an example of double billing?
Charging for work while traveling
That could be considered double billing. In this instance, if the lawyer spends two hours on a plane for client A while simultaneously doing two hours of billable work for client B, they cannot bill both client A and client B for that same two hours each.
Why are therapy sessions only 50 minutes?
The rationale behind the “50-minute hour” is that it provides the right amount of time to do the therapeutic work. At the same time, it leaves time for the therapist and client to wind down at the end. It also gives the therapist enough time to take a quick break and write notes in between clients.
Can you bill OT and PT on the same day?
So, even if a PT and OT co-treat a patient with a high complexity and low functional level in an outpatient setting for safety reasons, they cannot both bill for the entirety of their time. Instead, they must divide their minutes based on each therapist's services.
What is the reimbursement rate for 90837?
2- CPT Code 90837 Reimbursement:
Therapists use this code when providing extended therapy services to their patients. Just like CPT Code 90834, the reimbursement rate for CPT Code 90837 may vary depending on the payer, location, like in New York the reimbursement rate for CPT code 90837 is $144.83.