If the psychologist spends 90 minutes with the patient, will he/she be allowed to report code 99354 , Prolonged service in the office or other outpatient setting requiring direct patient contact beyond the usual service; first hour (List separately in addition to code for office or other outpatient Evaluation and Management service), as a way of capturing the prolonged time? ...
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Article Overview
This article explains, at a high level, how prolonged service reporting is considered in psychology and behavioral health encounters when a patient visit extends to 90 minutes. It is relevant to psychologists, behavioral health coders, and billing staff who need to understand how different service categories are treated and which broad coding families are involved.
Why This Topic Matters
Long patient encounters can affect how behavioral health services are documented and reported. Understanding which coding families are addressed helps prevent mismatches between service type, time-based reporting, and prolonged service coding.
What You Will Learn
- How prolonged service reporting is discussed for psychology-related outpatient encounters
- How time-based behavioral health assessment/intervention services are treated in the context of extended visit time
- How psychotherapy and psychiatric diagnostic evaluation are addressed in relation to prolonged service reporting
- Which broad coding families are involved in the discussion of extended patient contact
Who Should Read This
- Psychologists
- Behavioral health coders
- Medical billers
- Revenue cycle staff
- Practice managers
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
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