Psychtherapy not reimbursed
Started by Howard7
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Of course psychiatrists can bill for psychotherapy. Rates of reimbursement from insurances for an hour of psychotherapy tend to be less than for 4 15-minute med checks, which is an unfortunate economic force that pushes some psychiatrists away from full-time therapy practices, but you can certainly bill for it. If you can recruit a private-pay population, it can even be more lucrative than psychopharm only.
Where I did residency, because of the lower reimbursement, someone other than the psychiatrist in general did psychotherapy.
The residents did get psychotherapy training, but we had specific patients for psychotherapy only for us. The way the outpatient service worked in general, the psychiatrists did not do psychotherapy other than brief supportive therapy or therapy they could work in themselves within the limited time available.
If you go into private practice, you could use that as a strategy to keep things flowing economically.
The residents did get psychotherapy training, but we had specific patients for psychotherapy only for us. The way the outpatient service worked in general, the psychiatrists did not do psychotherapy other than brief supportive therapy or therapy they could work in themselves within the limited time available.
If you go into private practice, you could use that as a strategy to keep things flowing economically.
I'd heard that reimbursement is so bad that an hour of psychotherapy bills for about the same as one 15 minute med check.
There are 3 basic return office visit types in private practice outpt psychiatry:
1. 15 minute med check
2. 30 minute appt with med managment and limited psychotherapy
3. 45-55 minute traditional psychotherapy
Psychiatrists who do #'s 2 and 3 usually do it on a cash basis (sometimes they will help the patient submit a bill to the insurance company so the patient will recieve partial reimbursement).
1. 15 minute med check
2. 30 minute appt with med managment and limited psychotherapy
3. 45-55 minute traditional psychotherapy
Psychiatrists who do #'s 2 and 3 usually do it on a cash basis (sometimes they will help the patient submit a bill to the insurance company so the patient will recieve partial reimbursement).
