QuickMBS Insights · Medical Billing
Medical Billing for Mental Health Practices: CPT Codes 90791, 90792, 90832, 90834, 90837 & 90853 Explained
Mental health billing lives or dies on the right CPT code. This guide explains the diagnostic, individual-therapy, and group-therapy codes QuickMBS uses every day , and the mistakes that get claims denied.
Why mental-health coding is different
Mental-health visits are time-based, documentation-heavy, and payer-specific. A code that is correct for a 45-minute session is wrong for a 30-minute one, and a missing time statement is one of the most common reasons a clean-looking claim comes back denied.
Diagnostic evaluations: 90791 and 90792
90791 is a psychiatric diagnostic evaluation without medical services; 90792 is the same evaluation with medical services. Using the wrong one , or billing it too often for the same patient , is a fast route to a denial. Our coders check the evaluation type, the provider's credentials, and the payer's frequency rules before the claim goes out.
Individual therapy: 90832, 90834, 90837
These are the workhorses of therapy billing: 90832 for 30 minutes, 90834 for 45 minutes, and 90837 for 60 minutes. The session time in your note must support the code you bill. We review documentation so the code and the note agree , every time.
Group therapy: 90853
90853 covers group psychotherapy. It has its own documentation and billing rules, and it is frequently billed incorrectly alongside individual codes for the same session. We check for that conflict before submission.
How QuickMBS helps
Our certified coders know mental-health CPT codes inside and out. We verify eligibility and authorizations before the visit, code from complete documentation, submit clean claims, and follow up on any denial with a root-cause fix , so the same error does not repeat next month.
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QuickMBS handles the billing in this article, coding, submission, denials, and AR follow-up, for practices across 43 specialties. Start with a free billing audit.
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QuickMBS Insights · Medical Billing
Denial Management: How to Reduce Claim Denials and Recover Lost Revenue
Most denials are preventable , and most denied claims are recoverable. Here is how a structured denial-management process turns rejected claims back into revenue.
Denials are a process problem, not bad luck
When the same denial code appears again and again, it is almost always a process gap: an eligibility check skipped, a modifier missed, a documentation field left blank. Fixing the process matters more than resubmitting one claim.
Step 1: Analyze before you appeal
Every denied claim should be reviewed for its root cause , coding, eligibility, authorization, documentation, or payer error. A claim resubmitted without a fix will simply be denied again, and the clock keeps running on your AR.
Step 2: Correct, resubmit, and track
Corrected claims go out quickly, with the payer's deadline in mind. We track every resubmission so nothing is submitted twice or forgotten.
Step 3: Prevent the next one
Denial trends are reported back to the practice: which codes, which payers, which documentation gaps. That feedback loop is what actually reduces your denial rate over time.
When to get help
If denials are more than a small share of your claims, or if aged AR keeps growing, an outside denial-management team usually pays for itself , the recovered revenue is money you have already earned.
Want this done for your practice?
QuickMBS handles the billing in this article, coding, submission, denials, and AR follow-up, for practices across 43 specialties. Start with a free billing audit.
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QuickMBS Insights · Medical Billing
AR Recovery: How to Reduce AR Days and Improve Cash Flow
Aged accounts receivable is money you have earned but not collected. This guide explains how AR recovery works, what AR days really mean, and how to get paid faster.
What AR days tell you
AR days measure how long, on average, it takes you to get paid after a service. When AR days climb, cash flow tightens , even if your schedule is full. The fix is rarely “work harder”; it is usually a follow-up process that never lets a claim sit.
Start with an aged AR analysis
Not all old claims are equal. High-value, recent claims are worked first; very old claims are checked for timely-filing limits before anyone spends time on them. That prioritization is the difference between recovery and busywork.
Follow up persistently , and politely
Payers respond to consistent, documented follow-up. Our team follows up on pending and underpaid claims, reworks denials, and audits payment posting to catch underpayments and discrepancies.
Report, then improve
Monthly AR reports show aging trends, collection performance, and recovery progress. When you can see the numbers, you can hold the process accountable , including us.
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QuickMBS handles the billing in this article, coding, submission, denials, and AR follow-up, for practices across 43 specialties. Start with a free billing audit.
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QuickMBS Insights · Medical Billing
Medical Credentialing Checklist: Enroll Faster With Payers
Credentialing delays cost new providers weeks of billable work. Use this checklist , and a team that does it every day , to get enrolled faster and stay enrolled.
Why credentialing takes so long
Every payer wants the same information in a slightly different format, and one incomplete application can restart the clock. The most common delays are expired documents, an out-of-date CAQH profile, and applications submitted with small errors.
The checklist
Before you apply, gather: current license and DEA (where applicable), board certification, education and training history, work history, malpractice history and coverage, NPI numbers, and a current CAQH profile. Then track every expiration date , re-credentialing is not optional, and lapses stop payments.
CAQH is the shortcut , if it is current
Most commercial payers pull from CAQH. A complete, current CAQH profile removes a whole round of back-and-forth. We create, update, and maintain CAQH profiles for our providers.
Hospital privileging, too
If you need hospital privileges, that is a separate application with its own committee timeline. We manage the documentation and coordination so privileging does not become a second full-time job.
How QuickMBS helps
We handle complete provider enrollment with commercial and government payers, network contracting, CAQH management, credential verification, and re-credentialing reminders , from application to approval.
Want this done for your practice?
QuickMBS handles the billing in this article, coding, submission, denials, and AR follow-up, for practices across 43 specialties. Start with a free billing audit.
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QuickMBS Insights · Medical Billing
ABA Therapy Billing: What Behavioral Health Practices Need to Know
ABA billing has its own codes, authorization rules, and documentation standards. Here is what behavioral therapy practices need to get right to get paid.
ABA is a core QuickMBS specialty
Behavioral therapy (ABA) is one of our most-requested specialties. We deliver precise ABA billing with expert coding for therapy sessions and evaluations, helping behavioral therapy providers maximize reimbursements and minimize denials for smooth cash flow.
Authorizations come first
Most ABA services require prior authorization, and the authorization must match the service, the setting, and the units billed. Verifying benefits and authorization before the first session prevents the most painful ABA denials.
Coding and documentation must match
ABA claims are scrutinized for session times, provider credentials, and supervision requirements. Our coders check that the documentation supports every code and unit before submission.
Denials need a fast, specific response
ABA denials are often about authorization or medical necessity documentation. A generic appeal rarely works; the response has to address the payer's exact reason , which is why we analyze the denial before we appeal it.
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QuickMBS handles the billing in this article, coding, submission, denials, and AR follow-up, for practices across 43 specialties. Start with a free billing audit.
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QuickMBS Insights · Medical Billing
Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) in 2026: A Practical Guide for Small Practices
RCM is not a software purchase , it is the whole journey from scheduling to final payment. This practical guide shows small practices how to run it well.
What RCM actually is
Revenue cycle management covers everything between a patient booking and the final payment landing: eligibility verification, coding, claim submission, denial management, payment posting, and AR follow-up. A weakness in any one step leaks revenue from all the others.
The five steps that matter
Audit your current billing, verify insurance before the visit, submit clean claims, follow up relentlessly, and report on it monthly. That is the whole system , and most practices are missing at least one step.
Why small practices struggle most
A solo or small-group practice rarely has a full-time billing team, so billing becomes whoever has a spare hour. That is exactly when errors, missed follow-ups, and aging AR accumulate. Outsourcing the revenue cycle is often cheaper than the revenue it recovers.
What to look for in an RCM partner
Look for specialty experience, transparent reporting, HIPAA-compliant processes, 24-hour support, and a free audit before you sign. If a partner cannot show you where your revenue is leaking before you pay them, keep looking.
Want this done for your practice?
QuickMBS handles the billing in this article, coding, submission, denials, and AR follow-up, for practices across 43 specialties. Start with a free billing audit.
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