Tami L Mark1, William J Olesiuk1, Laura J Sherman1, Mir M Ali1, Ryan Mutter1, Judith L Teich1. 1. Dr. Mark is with RTI International, Rockville, Maryland. Dr. Olesiuk is with Truven Health Analytics, an IBM Company, Durham, North Carolina. The remaining authors are with the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, Maryland.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the changes to the psychiatric Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes implemented in 2013 were associated with changes in types of services for which psychiatrists billed. METHODS: Analyses were conducted using paid private insurance claims from a large commercial database. The participant cohort comprised psychiatrists with at least one psychiatry visit reported in the database in each calendar year studied: 2012 (N of visits=778,445), 2013 (N=748,317), and 2014 (N=754,760). RESULTS: The percentage of visits in which psychiatrists billed for psychotherapy declined from 51.4% in 2012 to 42.1% in 2014. The decline held after the analyses adjusted for patient characteristics, plan type, and region. CONCLUSIONS: The update to CPT codes resulted in a decrease in visits for which psychiatrists billed for psychotherapy. Further research should explore whether the change in billing corresponds to changes in service delivery.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the changes to the psychiatric Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes implemented in 2013 were associated with changes in types of services for which psychiatrists billed. METHODS: Analyses were conducted using paid private insurance claims from a large commercial database. The participant cohort comprised psychiatrists with at least one psychiatry visit reported in the database in each calendar year studied: 2012 (N of visits=778,445), 2013 (N=748,317), and 2014 (N=754,760). RESULTS: The percentage of visits in which psychiatrists billed for psychotherapy declined from 51.4% in 2012 to 42.1% in 2014. The decline held after the analyses adjusted for patient characteristics, plan type, and region. CONCLUSIONS: The update to CPT codes resulted in a decrease in visits for which psychiatrists billed for psychotherapy. Further research should explore whether the change in billing corresponds to changes in service delivery.
Entities:
Keywords:
Current Procedural Terminology; Office visits; Psychiatry/general; Psychotherapy; Research/service delivery
Authors: Jenna M Jones; Mir M Ali; Ryan Mutter; Rachel Mosher Henke; Manjusha Gokhale; William Marder; Tami Mark Journal: J Behav Health Serv Res Date: 2018-10 Impact factor: 1.505