Procedure Coding Handbook for Psychiatrists, Fourth Edition

Both the regulatory climate and the fiscal market in which mental health care is provided have continued to change since the first edition of Procedure Coding Handbook for Psychiatrists was published in 1993. Now in its fourth edition, this handbook not only outlines how correct coding and documentation are vital to getting paid, but also helps avoid audits from insurers and provides protection against malpractice allegations through knowledge of the coding system. This manual provides essential coding and documentation guidance in an easy-to-read format, as well as: • The collective wisdom of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Committee on Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS), Codes and Reimbursement and over 15 years of author experience.• Specific psychiatric codes combined in one chapter for easy reference.• Details on payment issues surrounding certain medical coding, as well as reimbursement issues common to major payers.• A more thorough description of the level of code to select based on actual clinical examples. • A complete list of codes most frequently used by psychiatrists along with descriptors. Procedure Coding Handbook for Psychiatrists is a concise, easy-to-reference text that offers greater clarity of the intricacies of coding and documentation than ever before. Chapters provide the following insights: • Basic background information about Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding and a description of the format of the American Medical Association CPT manual so practitioners and students alike will know where to find appropriate codes.• The importance of complete and accurate documentation for both good patient care and collective activities. • Detailed descriptions of the psychiatric evaluation and therapeutic procedure codes as well as nonpsychiatric mental health services and an explanation of how to document them. • Vignettes for different clinical sites and coding solutions appropriate for these vignettes. • Frequently asked questions and problem scenarios based upon queries that have come through the APA's Managed Care Help Line. The need for a manual like Procedure Coding Handbook for Psychiatrists is greater than ever as mental health professionals continue to struggle with payers about the appropriate choice of codes for specific services and the relationship of the code chosen to the level of reimbursement. As payers continue to challenge the "medical necessity" of services by denying use of codes that have a higher reimbursement value, an in-depth knowledge of proper coding and the technicalities surrounding it is a must for clinicians, residents, and students alike.

About the Author

Rebecca K. Yowell is deputy director of the APA Office of Healthcare Systems and Financing in Arlington, Virginia, and lead staff for APA's work with the AMA CPT Editorial Panel and AMA RVS Committee.

Ellen Jaffe is the Medicare specialist in the APA Office of Healthcare Systems and Financing in Arlington, Virginia, and is responsible for the Psychiatric Practice and Managed Care page that appears irregularly in Psychiatric News.