Mental Health Billing Blog: Essential Guides
This mental health billing blog explains claims, denials, credentialing, CPT codes and payer rules in plain English. It is written for psychotherapists, psychiatrists and the staff who bill for them. Browse the latest guides below, or filter by topic and state.
MCM South has billed exclusively for mental and behavioral health since 2010. This mental health billing blog comes from that daily work. We check payer and state rules against current sources, and we say so when a rule changes by state or by payer.
State Insurance Contact Guides: 22 Essential Provider Lists
State insurance contact guides put the provider contacts for one state on one page: each major payer, the state Medicaid agency and your…
Posts, page 25
MassHealth Behavioral Health Modifiers: Which Ones Go on Your Claim
MassHealth behavioral health modifiers explained: AF, AH, HO and the telehealth modifiers 95, 93 and FQ, plus which MassHealth manual…
Read more →Illinois Insurance Credentialing: IMPACT, CAQH and BCBSIL Explained
Illinois insurance credentialing for therapists: how IMPACT Medicaid enrollment, CAQH and BCBSIL recredentialing fit together, step by step.
Read more →Tennessee Insurance Credentialing: The Order of Operations for Therapists and Psychiatrists
Tennessee insurance credentialing for therapists and psychiatrists: TennCare ID, MCO contracts, BCBST enrollment and monthly screening.
Read more →Washington Insurance Credentialing: CAQH, Apple Health and Premera in the Right Order
Washington insurance credentialing for therapists and psychiatrists: CAQH, plan access, Apple Health and Premera rules in one guide.
Read more →Blue Shield of California Behavioral Health Changes: What Moved In-House and What to Do Now
Blue Shield of California behavioral health changes: what moved in-house, which services need prior authorization, and what to do now.
Read more →Health First Colorado Provider Enrollment: How Therapists and Psychiatrists Enroll and Credential
Health First Colorado provider enrollment for therapists and psychiatrists: Gainwell steps, RAE credentialing, five-year revalidation,…
Read more →Connecticut Mental Health Parity Law: 5 Essential Changes
Connecticut mental health parity law in 2026: what Public Act 25-94 and the April report mean for your claims, denials and authorizations.
Read more →DC Medicaid Behavioral Health Billing: MCOs, DBH Services and the Gainwell Portal
DC Medicaid behavioral health billing: how MCOs, DBH-certified services, and the Gainwell portal fit together, plus telehealth…
Read more →Topics
Billing Terms Glossary52CPT & Billing Code Guides61Telehealth & In-Home Rules20State & Regional Billing Guides120Claim Denials & Appeals23Payer Guides37Credentialing28Medicaid & Medicare46EAP Billing7Payer Policy Updates17Practice Management81Practice Software5What you will find on the mental health billing blog
The mental health billing blog falls into a few clear groups. Start with the one that matches the problem on your desk today.
- Payer guides. How a specific insurer handles mental health claims, for example Aetna billing.
- Claim denials and appeals. Why claims are rejected or denied, what to fix first, and how to appeal.
- Credentialing. How credentialing works, and how in-network and out-of-network status differ.
- CPT and billing codes. Psychotherapy and prescriber codes, modifiers and place of service, collected in the CPT & E/M code guide.
- State and regional guides. Billing notes for the ten states we serve: Georgia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Texas, Florida, New York, Colorado, Tennessee, North Carolina and Illinois.
- Medicaid and Medicare. Government payer rules. Medicare and Medicaid are run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) together with state agencies. See our plain-English entry on Medicaid billing.
- Billing terms. Definitions for every term you will meet, in the Billing Terms Glossary.
You can also browse our Resources hub, see who we serve, or read about our billing services.
New to billing? Begin with the Billing Terms Glossary, then read the CPT guide. Already billing? Jump to the denial and payer guides to find out why a claim stalled and what to send next. Each post links to related guides, so you can follow a single question from the basic rule to the fix.
How to use the mental health billing blog
Rules differ by payer and by state. A commercial insurer, Medicare and a state Medicaid program can each treat the same claim differently, so every guide says which one it covers. Use the state filter to find your state, and the topic filter to narrow by problem. The mental health billing blog also has a search box for codes and payers.
Psychiatrists and other prescribers bill differently from therapists. They use evaluation and management (E/M) codes with psychotherapy add-on codes, so look for the posts on the mental health billing blog that say so.
Check the date on any post that names a rule, and confirm with the payer before you act. This mental health billing blog gives operational billing guidance. It is not legal advice. For real financial or legal exposure, talk with your attorney or compliance officer.
Mental health billing blog FAQs
The mental health billing blog is MCM South’s library of plain-English guides on claims, denials, credentialing, codes and payer rules for mental and behavioral health practices. New guides are added as we publish them.
It is written for psychotherapists and psychiatrists in solo and group practices, and for the office staff who handle billing.
Yes. Insurers, Medicaid programs and state laws differ, so each guide says which payer or state it covers. Use the state filter to find yours.
No. It is operational billing guidance. For legal or financial exposure, confirm with an attorney or compliance officer.
MCM South bills for psychotherapists and psychiatrists. You can request a free quote or schedule a consultation.
Use the state filter at the top of the blog, or the topic filter for state and regional guides. If your state is not listed, tell us what you need and we will point you to the closest guide.
Ready to hand off your billing?
MCM South handles insurance verification, electronic claims, denial follow-up, EAP billing and credentialing for psychotherapists and psychiatrists. Tell us about your practice and we will put together a custom quote.