Free 2026 Mental & Behavioral Health CPT Cheat Sheet
The 2026 Mental & Behavioral Health CPT Cheat Sheet is a reference covering time-based psychotherapy codes (90832–90838), diagnostic evaluations (90791/90792), family, group and crisis codes, telehealth modifiers, and the credentialing rules that drive behavioral health denials. Built by AMS Solutions’ AAPC-certified coders who have handled behavioral health billing since 1992.
This sheet covers where behavioral health revenue actually leaks: missing start/stop time documentation on time-based psychotherapy codes, telehealth modifier and place-of-service mismatches, frequency limits on 90791 and 90837, and claims billed under a rendering provider the payer never credentialed. Print it, post it next to the work queue, save it to your team’s coding folder. Free, no obligation.
What’s inside
- Psychotherapy codes 90832 / 90834 / 90837 with the exact billable time ranges (16–37, 38–52, 53+ minutes)
- Diagnostic evaluations 90791 and 90792, and when the prescriber code applies
- Psychotherapy add-ons +90833 / +90836 / +90838 for E/M plus therapy in the same visit
- Family (90846/90847), group (90853), and crisis (90839/+90840) codes with same-day bundling rules
- Telehealth in 2026: modifier 95 vs 93, POS 02 vs 10, and what is permanent versus extended through 12/31/2027
- Credential-driven payer rules by license type, including Medicare’s MFT and MHC enrollment path
- Top 5 behavioral health denial triggers with the fix for each
Why your billing team will use this
Behavioral health billing punishes small documentation gaps harder than most specialties. A session logged without start and stop times, a 90837 billed routinely without justification, or a telehealth claim carrying the wrong place-of-service code all deny for reasons that are entirely preventable. This sheet puts the thresholds and the rules in one page your team can check before the claim goes out.
Codes and payer policies change. Verify against current CPT and each payer’s medical policy before billing. This is a billing reference, not clinical or legal advice.
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CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. CPT copyright American Medical Association. All rights reserved. Current as of the CPT 2026 code set.
Provided for general educational purposes and not legal, compliance or billing advice. Coding rules and payer policies change and vary by MAC and contract — verify against current CMS guidance and your payer agreements before billing. Nothing here guarantees a particular payment or financial outcome.