Psychiatry Billing Services for Solo and Group Practices
Psychiatry billing services take the insurance side of a psychiatric practice off your desk. They check coverage, send claims, follow up on denials and track payments, so you can stay with patients. MCM South Medical Billing Service, LLC does this for psychiatrists in solo and group practices, for mental and behavioral health only, and has since 2010.
<Updated November 10, 2026
Short answer: Psychiatry billing services handle the claims side of a prescriber’s practice: evaluation and management (E/M) visits, psychotherapy add-on codes, denials, credentialing and payer follow-up. Psychiatry medical billing and psychiatric billing services describe the same work. It differs from therapy billing because the visit code and its add-on are billed together, and the documentation has to support both.
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Psychiatry medical billing is not therapy billing
Psychiatry medical billing means submitting claims for psychiatric evaluations, medication management and, when it happens in the same visit, psychotherapy. A psychotherapist bills by session length. A psychiatrist bills an evaluation and management (E/M) visit and may add a psychotherapy code on top of it. The two must agree on the claim, or the payer pays one and denies the other.
MCM South bills both kinds of practice. This page is for psychiatrists. For psychotherapy practices, see our mental health billing company for private practice guide and the full list of billing services.
5 essential E/M rules for psychiatry billing
- The E/M visit stands on its own. New patients use 99202-99205. Established patients use 99212-99215. The level comes from medical decision making or total time on the date of the visit. See the E/M code guide.
- Psychotherapy is an add-on, not a separate visit. When a psychiatrist also provides psychotherapy in the same visit, one add-on code goes with the E/M: 90833 (16 to 37 minutes), 90836 (38 to 52 minutes) or 90838 (53 minutes or more). See the psychotherapy add-on codes.
- Time is counted once. The minutes that support the add-on do not also count toward the E/M level. Document them separately.
- Interactive complexity is a separate add-on. Code 90785 applies when the visit needs extra communication support, such as involving family members. The note must say what made the visit complex.
- Payers differ. Private payers, Medicare, Medicaid and state rules each treat add-ons, telehealth modifiers and authorization differently. We check the payer’s own rules before we bill. For Medicare payment amounts, see the CMS Physician Fee Schedule.
Billing terms in a payer contract are defined in our billing terms glossary, and the full CPT and E/M code guide explains the codes on your claims.
What our psychiatry billing services cover
We run the full billing cycle for your practice:
- Eligibility and benefits. We confirm coverage and behavioral health carve-outs before the first visit. Insurance verification.
- Claims. Clean claims with the right E/M level, add-on, modifiers and place of service. Electronic claims submission.
- Denials and appeals. We find the reason code, fix the claim and appeal when it makes sense. Denied and rejected claims follow-up.
- Secondary claims. The balance goes to the second payer with the first payer’s remittance. Secondary claims.
- Credentialing. You cannot bill a payer you are not enrolled with. Credentialing for psychiatrists and insurance credentialing.
- Reports. An aging report and a paysheet report show where each claim and payment stands.
We also bill out-of-network claims for clients. See in-network vs. out-of-network. Practices that offer TMS or ECT can read about TMS and ECT billing.
Psychiatry medical billing, psychiatrist billing and psychiatric billing services: same work, different names
People search for this work under several names: psychiatry medical billing, psychiatric billing, psychiatrist medical billing and psychiatry billing company. They all describe the same job. Someone else submits E/M and add-on claims, follows up on denials and handles payer enrollment for the prescriber.
What matters is not the name. It is whether the company bills psychiatric E/M visits with the right add-on code every day. MCM South serves psychotherapists and psychiatrists, solo and group practices. If your group also includes therapists, their sessions can be billed alongside your E/M visits.
Psychiatry billing solution vs. billing software
A psychiatry billing solution can be software, a service or both. Software, including the billing tools in your electronic health record (EHR), builds and sends the claim. A billing service works the claim after it goes out. Many practices use both.
| Billing software | Psychiatry billing service | |
|---|---|---|
| Who works the claim | You or your staff | The billing company |
| Who follows up on denials | You or your staff | The billing company |
| What you pay for | A software subscription | A fee set by the company |
| Best for | Practices that want to keep the work | Practices that want claims off their desk |
For a closer comparison, read mental health billing software vs. a billing service.
Outsource psychiatric billing services: what changes
When you outsource psychiatric billing services, the claim work moves off your desk. Your front desk still collects visit details and your documentation still supports the code. We handle what happens after the visit, so you stop doing denial follow-up at night. We do not promise a specific result, collection rate or timeline. For the general-practice view, read about our mental health billing company for private practice.
Where we bill
MCM South currently serves ten states: Georgia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Texas, Florida, New York, Colorado, Tennessee, North Carolina and Illinois. Founder Michael Williams has worked in all 50 states at some point. See who we serve.
Pick your visit type: what to ask a psychiatry billing service
Choose the visit you bill most. You get two questions to ask and a guide to read.
7 questions to ask any psychiatry billing service
- Do you bill only mental and behavioral health?
- Do you bill E/M visits and psychotherapy add-on codes together?
- How do you check that the E/M level and the add-on time are documented?
- Which payers and states do you work in day to day?
- How do you charge, and what is included?
- Will you sign a business associate agreement?
- Can you also help with payer enrollment and credentialing?
Psychiatry billing services: common questions
What is a psychiatry billing service?
It is a company that bills insurance for a psychiatric practice: eligibility, claims, denials, secondary claims and, where offered, credentialing. MCM South does this only for mental and behavioral health.
Do you bill both E/M visits and psychotherapy add-ons?
Yes. We bill E/M visits with the 90833, 90836 or 90838 add-on, and with 90785 when it applies, based on your documentation.
Do you work with solo psychiatrists and group practices?
Yes, both.
Do you bill out-of-network claims?
Yes. We bill out-of-network claims for clients.
Can you help with credentialing?
Yes. Credentialing is one of our services and is separate from claim billing. See credentialing.
The short version: psychiatry billing services
Psychiatry billing services should bill E/M visits and psychotherapy add-ons correctly, follow up on denials and manage payer enrollment. When you compare psychiatry billing services, ask who bills the E/M claims, how add-on codes are paired and how denials are worked. Psychiatry billing services from MCM South are for psychotherapists and psychiatrists in solo and medium-size practices.
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