What Is Mental Health Billing?

When someone gets help from a therapist or counselor, that provider needs to be paid for their work. Mental health billing is the process of sending the bill to the person’s health insurance so the provider gets paid. In 2025, this can be more complicated than billing for regular doctor visits because there are special rules and codes for mental health.

Mental health care often includes therapy sessions, medication checks, or evaluations. These services are billed differently depending on how long the session lasted, what kind of therapy was given, and who provided the care. Because of all these factors, it’s easy to make mistakes with medical billing for mental health providers in 2025.

That’s why many mental health providers get help from billing companies like eServMD. These companies know the rules and make sure everything is done correctly. This means providers spend less time dealing with paperwork and more time helping their patients.

How Is It Different from Regular Billing?

Mental health billing is different in a few ways:

Patients often have regular visits, like once a week.
Time matters—sessions can be 30, 45, or 60 minutes.
It includes different kinds of therapy, like for individuals, couples, or families.
Some services need approval from the insurance company before they start.
Privacy rules are even more strict.

Also, insurance companies often have different rules for mental health services. A patient might need to get permission before treatment begins. If the provider doesn’t get that permission (called pre-authorization), the insurance company might refuse to pay. These are part of the insurance requirements for therapy billing.

Mental health clinics also have to be extra careful to follow privacy laws, like HIPAA. These laws protect patient information. eServMD helps providers with all of this by offering Eligibility and Authorization services. They check insurance, get permission for treatment, and keep everything secure.

Common Codes You Might See

There are special number codes, called CPT codes for psychotherapy sessions, that tell the insurance company what kind of care was given. These codes are very important because they decide how much the provider gets paid. Some common mental health CPT codes and modifiers are:

90791 – A first-time mental health evaluation
90834 – A 45-minute therapy session
90837 – A 60-minute therapy session
90846 – Family therapy without the patient
90847 – Family therapy with the patient
H0031 – An evaluation done by someone who’s not a doctor

Sometimes, providers also use modifiers. These are extra letters or numbers added to the code that give more information. For example:

GT or 95 – Means the session happened over a video call (important for telehealth billing for mental health)
KX – Shows the treatment is medically necessary
AF – Means a physician assistant gave the care

If a provider uses the wrong code or forgets a modifier, the insurance company might deny the claim. Using the right codes helps providers avoid delays and get paid the right amount.

Problems with Insurance

Getting paid by insurance companies can be tough. Here are some common problems:

Some plans only allow a certain number of therapy sessions each year.
Mental health visits might cost more for the patient than other doctor visits.
Insurance can be confusing, especially if the provider isn’t in the patient’s network.
Claims might take a long time to process.

Also, if the provider forgets to send all the needed paperwork, the insurance company might reject the claim. When that happens, the provider has to fix the mistake and try again. This wastes time and can delay payments.

To fix these problems, mental health clinics need to check insurance coverage, get approval before the first visit, and track any claims that get denied. eServMD helps with all of this so that providers can get paid faster. These services help solve mental health claim denial solutions.

How eServMD Makes It Easier

eServMD gives mental health providers the tools and help they need to get paid without stress. They offer:

Help picking the right CPT codes (Medical Coding Services)
Checking insurance before the visit
Submitting claims quickly and tracking their progress
Fixing denied claims and sending them again
Easy-to-understand reports for providers and patients

They also offer full Revenue Cycle Management, which means they take care of the entire billing process from start to finish. This helps providers track their income, handle their expenses, and understand their finances better. That’s what mental health revenue cycle management is all about.

If someone is opening a new mental health clinic, eServMD’s New Practice Setup can help with everything. This includes getting approval from insurance companies, setting up billing software, and training staff on how to use it. These services also help with billing solutions for small mental health clinics.

Other Helpful Services from eServMD

eServMD also helps clinics in other ways:

Credentialing: They help providers sign up with insurance companies.
Practice Consulting: They teach clinics how to run more smoothly and make fewer mistakes.
Accounting and Finance: They help keep track of money coming in and going out.
Hospital Billing: They help hospitals with billing for mental health units.
Urgent Care Billing: They help clinics that offer emergency mental health services.

These are key parts of behavioral health billing services that support billing support for psychiatric practices and promote therapy billing compliance in 2025.

Want Help with Billing?

If you’re a mental health provider and want to spend more time helping people and less time dealing with insurance, schedule a demo with eServMD. They will walk you through everything they offer and show you how they can make your job easier with accurate therapy claim submissions and revenue improvement for therapists.

👉 Click here to book your free demo

How to Handle Medical Billing for Mental Health Providers in 2025