The coding guidelines for Psychiatric Diagnostic Procedures indicate the following: Codes 90791 , 90792 are used for the diagnostic assessment(s) or reassessment(s), if required, and do not include psychotherapeutic services. Psychotherapy services, including for crisis, may not be reported on the same day. Does this mean that a patients family psychotherapy session reported with code 90846 , Family psychotherapy (without the patient present), or code 90847 , Family psychotherapy (conjoint psychotherapy) (with patient present), could not be billed on the same day as a psychiatric diagnostic evaluation ( 90791 , 90792 ), even if the family psychotherapy was a separate session? ...

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Note:  The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AMA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.

Article Overview

This article reviews coding guidance for psychiatric diagnostic procedures and the relationship between diagnostic evaluation services and family psychotherapy reporting. It is aimed at coding and billing professionals who need to understand how broad service categories are treated when they occur on the same date of service. The article also touches on how family involvement is viewed when it is part of an initial diagnostic assessment versus a separately reported psychotherapy service.

Why This Topic Matters

Psychiatric diagnostic and psychotherapy services can overlap in practice, so understanding the article helps readers recognize when multiple mental health service categories are being discussed together and why this matters for compliant claim submission and service documentation.

Codes Discussed

• CPT: 90791
• CPT: 90792
• CPT: 90846
• CPT: 90847
• CPT: 90486
• CPT: 90487

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