The 90837 CPT code is often understood to be the standard of a therapy session among providers. However, insurers have a tendency to flag 90837 more frequently than other codes.
December 21, 2023
9 min read
Code 90837 represents a 60-minute session of psychotherapy (i.e. talk therapy), with at least 53 minutes of documented face-to-face time.
This is is how the American Medical Association defines 90837 in the official CPT codebook:
Psychotherapy, 60 minutes with patient
Psychotherapy is the treatment of mental illness and behavioral disturbances in which the physician or other qualified health care professional, through definitive therapeutic communication, attempts to alleviate the emotional disturbances, reverse or change maladaptive patterns of behavior, and encourage personality growth and development.
The psychotherapy service codes include ongoing assessment and adjustment of psychotherapeutic interventions, and may include involvement of informants in the treatment process. These codes describe psychotherapy for the individual patient, although times are for face-to-face services with patient and may include informant(s). The patient must be present for all or a majority of the service.
Your documentation for this code should include all the standard elements of a progress note, including:
Simplify insurance and save time on your entire workflow — from compliance and billing to credentialing and admin.
It’s important to use the code that most accurately reflects the time you spent with the patient to treat their condition, and ensure that documentation for the session supports the chosen code.
The 90837 code is directly associated with a length of time: As the “60 minute” code, any session billed with 90837 is required to be at least 53 minutes in duration, as documented by the start and stop times in your progress notes.
The time requirement of the 90837 code should reflect only the face-to-face time spent on therapy, not any of the administrative work related to the session, like writing notes, scheduling future sessions, or collecting payment.
Insurers are more likely to flag and place scrutiny on the use of 90837 codes. This can result in payment delays, requests for clinical documentation to support use of the 90837, and other confusion for what seems like a typical billing selection.
Ultimately, insurers are looking for evidence that the additional time was needed.
Every insurer is different, but most typically look for the following supporting conditions in 90837 documentation:
To meet these expectations, your documentation can include more details about the client’s need for additional clinical intervention, as evidenced by:
Reimbursement rates for sessions billed with 90837 will vary depending on the plan, your contract, your location, and your license type.
This document is intended for educational purposes only. It is designed to facilitate compliance with payer requirements and applicable law, but please note that the applicable laws and requirements vary from payer to payer and state to state. Please check with your legal counsel or state licensing board for specific requirements.
There are a lot of nuts and bolts that go into running a private therapy practice, from the complexities of billing to insurance compliance requirements. Headway is here to help with all of those tasks, streamlining and simplifying administrative responsibilities like credentialing, scheduling, documentation, and billing. Plus, our providers enjoy consistent and competitive bi-weekly pay, thanks to our partnerships with leading payers. We take care of all of your behind-the-scenes needs to make being a therapist simpler and more profitable.
This content is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute clinical, legal, financial, or professional advice. All decisions should be made at the discretion of the individual or organization, in consultation with qualified clinical, legal, or other appropriate professionals.
© 2026 Therapymatch, Inc. dba Headway. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.
Understand the ins and outs of CPT codes to help make documentation and billing more efficient — and give you more time to focus on other areas of your practice.
Headway strives to simplify billing insurance so you can focus on providing care. Read our comprehensive guide to mental health billing.
Understand the ins and outs of CPT codes to help make documentation and billing more efficient — and give you more time to focus on other areas of your practice.
