want to level up your billing?
a lot has changed since you learned to bill
Psychiatric billing is confusing, boring, and constantly changing.
The 2021 MDM overhaul, new telehealth codes most payers ignored, prolonged service rules that split between Medicare and commercial; It's a lot to keep up with, and nobody's making it easy.
Until now
introducing:
instant download · printable PDF + 1 page cheat sheet · up to date for 2026 CPT codes
if you're still billing based on what you learned in school,
you're probably using outdated criteria
for every mental health prescriber
PMHNPs · psychiatrists · FNPs & PAs in mental health
whether you own your practice or work within one
IF THIS IS YOU, KEEP READING
sound familiar?
🤔 MDM feels like a foreign language
3 elements, 2 of 3 required, moderate vs. high... the criteria got a complete overhaul in 2021 and most providers never got the memo.
🧩 you don't know when to stack E/M + therapy add-ons
You're doing med management and psychotherapy in the same visit, but you're only billing for one. That's real money disappearing from every session.
🔥 you're leaving money on the table
Defaulting to 99213 because it feels safe? You're likely under-billing for the complex clinical work you're already doing.
⚠️ the rules changed in 2021 and keep changing
Time-based billing got a complete rewrite. New telehealth codes appeared and mostly flopped. It's a lot.
📞 telehealth modifiers are a guessing game
Modifier 95? 93? POS 10? New telehealth codes that Medicare won't even use? The rules keep changing and nobody sends you a clear update.
🏛️ Medicare vs. commercial rules aren't the same
Different prolonged service codes, different time thresholds, different telehealth rules. If you're billing the same way for every payer, something's wrong.
WHAT'S INSIDE
everything you need. nothing you don't.
📋 MDM billing
broken down so it actually makes sense
⏱️ time-based billing
when to use it (and when you can't)
🛋️ E/M + psychotherapy combos
the add-on codes you're probably missing
🚨 add-on codes & crisis codes
codes that bolt onto your primary service
📱 telehealth modifiers
what changed in 2025 (and what didn't)
🪄 CPT cheat sheet
every code you'll use, zero fluff, 1 page
BEFORE VS AFTER THE CODING COMPANION
The Coding Companion is a guide to psychiatric billing that's actually fun to read. Real clinical examples with memorable case patients. No legalese. No 300-page manuals. Just what you need to know for 2026, written like a colleague explaining it over coffee.
before❌
- defaulting to 99213 because it's 'safe
- billing the same way for Medicare and commercial
- doing therapy + med management but only billing for one
- no idea what changed in 2021 (or since)
- avoiding codes you don't fully understand
after❌
- selecting the right code in seconds with confidence
- billing 99214/99215 when your work supports it
- stacking E/M + psychotherapy for accurate reimbursement
- knowing exactly what's different for Medicare vs. commercial
- sleeping well at night knowing your billing is defensible
the only psych billing guide that's actually fun to read
tongue-in-cheek case examples · real clinical scenarios · the ~20 codes you actually use · no fluff and fully current through 2026
