Med Management vs. Psychotherapy

[Lori4123]

If a psychiatrist sees a patient and provides psychothery and then refers the patient to our Psychologist for medication. Can the psychologist bill for the initial interview 90801?

 

[brajt]

If a psychiatrist sees a patient and provides psychothery and then refers the patient to our Psychologist for medication. Can the psychologist bill for the initial interview 90801?

I have a feeling that you are mixing the Psychiatrist and Psychologist up. Psychologist cannot administer medication and Psychiatrists can.
Medicare will not pay for both services if the providers are from the same practice. Even adding a modifier will not get it paid. Many 3rd party payors are also following the Medicare guidelines.

 

[Ortizt]

After speaking with my MH Department today, I was told that typically the psychiatrists (at least in my facility) do not perform psychotherapy. They perform in-takes & treatment plans/new patient assessments (90801) and/or medication evaluations (90862). Psychologists or LMSW perform the psychotherapy (90806, 90808).

 

[readingfool]

med mgmt vs psychotherapy

You can not be paid for psychotherapy and a med check on the same day and your patient should not be seeing two providers in the same day. If he/she is seeing the psychologist for therapy and then is referred to the doc the doc can bill a 90801 seperate from the one originally done by the psychologist but he can not bill the 90801 and 90862 on the same day.