Understanding Coding and Payment for Psychiatrists' Services: How We Got Here and Where We're Going

Psychiatrists often have difficulty understanding how to document, code, and bill for their services in a way that expedites adequate payment and avoids billing problems or future issues. This is very understandable because many psychiatrists in small or solo practices do their own billing without any formal training in the vagaries of coding and reimbursement policies. For many years, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has devoted substantial resources to guiding psychiatrists through this maze, with direct member assistance and resources publicly available at www.psychiatry.org. APA staff, councils, and committees have also been working for many years to improve coding and reimbursement for psychiatric services. Current and former members and staff of the APA Committee on RBRVS, Codes, and Reimbursement have authored this article to help psychiatrists gain a better understanding of the current coding and reimbursement structure for psychiatric services, including how it evolved and what the future holds.