About this course

Learning Objectives

• Identify core CPT psychotherapy codes commonly used in mental health practice and describe general best-practice principles for their appropriate use.
• Explain the criteria for use of the Interactive Complexity add-on code and additional Crisis Psychotherapy time codes, including when these codes are and are not clinically appropriate.
• Apply CPT coding principles to clinical case examples in order to determine accurate coding and avoid common billing errors.
• Describe documentation elements necessary to support standard psychotherapy codes, interactive complexity, and crisis services in a manner consistent with ethical and compliance standards.

Target Audience

Course Instructor(s)

• Gina M. Pasquale, PsyD

  Executive Director, Maps Counseling Services

  Gina M. Pasquale, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Executive Director of Maps Counseling Services, a nonprofit outpatient mental health center in New Hampshire. She is an affiliate faculty member in the Clinical Psychology Department at Antioch University New England, where she teaches ethics and professional practice. Dr. Pasquale maintains an active clinical role and brings a practitioner’s perspective to her trainings, emphasizing ethical decision-making, defensible documentation, and CPT billing practices grounded in real-world mental health care.

Disclosure

References

• American Medical Association. (2025). CPT® 2026 professional edition. AMA Press.
• American Psychological Association. (2022, January 28). 2022 guidelines for reporting interactive complexity. https://www.apaservices.org/practice/reimbursement/health-codes/2022-reporting-interactive-complexity
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2024). Medicare claims processing manual: Chapter 12 — Physicians/Nonphysician practitioners. https://www.cms.gov
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2023). Psychotherapy services and documentation requirements. https://www.cms.gov
• McCaffrey, M. A. (2024). Stress-free documentation for mental health therapists: The complete guide to progress notes, treatment planning, and medical necessity. QA Prep.
• Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2023). General compliance program guidance. https://oig.hhs.gov
• Reiter, M. D. (2023). A Therapist’s Guide to Writing in Psychotherapy: Assessment, Documentation, and Intervention. Routledge.
• Hirschtritt, M. E., Staglin, B., Buttlaire, S., Ahearn, K., Oglesby, S., Dixon, L. B., Shern, D., Ewing, T., & Niendam, T. A. (2024). Reimbursement for a broader array of services in coordinated specialty care for early psychosis. Psychiatric Services, 75(9), 932–934. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20230551
• LaVigne, T. W., Bujoreanu, S., Moldovanu, S. R., Hale, A. E., & Coakley, R. (2025). At the Crossroads of Clinical Innovation and Fiscal Sustainability: Lessons Learned from 10 years of Implementation Science in Academic Health Centers. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-025-10102-3
• Lustig, S. L., Shah, V., Kay, L., DiGiacomo, A., & Nemecek, D. A. (2024). Has value-based reimbursement arrived for behavioral health? A payer perspective. Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics, 27(4), 109–113.
• Vanderkruik, R., & Stark, A. M. (2025). Are insurance reimbursement rates contributing to inequitable access to outpatient psychologists? Practice Innovations, 10(4), 398–404.