CPT code 90834: Psychotherapy session, 45 minutes, without E/M2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Maine
Report this individual psychotherapy service for 38 to 52 minutes with the patient when the clinician does not perform E/M with the psychotherapy.
Medicare pays $111.43–$113.40 for 90834 in the office in Maine, from Rest of Maine to Southern Maine, ME. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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On this page 9 sections
What 90834 covers
This service is an individual psychotherapy session in which a clinician uses techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy, supportive therapy, or insight-oriented work to treat a mental health or substance use condition. The patient participates for all or part of the session; a family member or caregiver may join. Clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and Medicare-enrolled marriage and family therapists or mental health counselors provide it in offices, outpatient clinics, and eligible telehealth encounters.
Select 90834 using psychotherapy time: 38 through 52 minutes. Use 90832 for 16 through 37 minutes and 90837 for 53 minutes or more. Document total psychotherapy minutes or start and stop times, the therapeutic approach, clinical focus, patient response, and progress toward treatment goals. Exclude time spent on E/M activities or testing. If the same clinician performs a separately identifiable E/M service with psychotherapy, report the appropriate psychotherapy add-on instead; for 38 through 52 minutes, that is 90836. Interactive complexity add-on 90785 may accompany 90834 when its qualifying communication factors are documented.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.
Billing guides for 90834: 90834 vs 90837 · 90832 vs 90834 · Psychotherapy CPT codes · Mental health billing
Where 90834 pays more and less in Maine
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest of Maine | $111.43 | $91.15 |
| Southern Maine, ME | $113.40 | $91.55 |
How the 90834 rate is calculated
Each of 90834’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 90834
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work2.56
2.56 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.83
0.83 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.02
0.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
3.4100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$113.90
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 90834
90834 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.
Place of service · 90834
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
$113.90
- Non-facility (office)
- $113.90
- Facility
- $91.85
Higher because the practice carries its own overhead.
90834 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 90837Psychotherapy60 minutes, no E/M
- Both are individual psychotherapy codes without E/M performed with the therapy. Use 90834 for 38 to 52 minutes; use 90837 once psychotherapy time reaches 53 minutes.
- 90836PsychotherapyWith E/M, 38–52 minutes
- 90836 is a psychotherapy add-on for 38 to 52 minutes when the same clinician performs a separately identifiable E/M service with the therapy. Report 90834 when that clinician provides psychotherapy without E/M.
- 90832Psychotherapy session30 minutes, without E/M
- 90832 covers 16 to 37 minutes of psychotherapy. Use 90834 when documented psychotherapy time reaches 38 through 52 minutes.
- 90847Family therapyPatient present, 50 minutes
- 90847 is family psychotherapy focused on family interactions, with the patient present. Individual-focused therapy remains 90834 when a family member joins the patient's session.
90834 billing questions
How many minutes are needed to report this code instead of the 30- or 60-minute code?
Psychotherapy time of 38 to 52 minutes supports 90834. Use 90832 for 16 to 37 minutes and 90837 for 53 minutes or more.
Can a psychiatrist bill this code along with an E/M visit on the same day?
When the same clinician performs a separately identifiable E/M service with 38 to 52 minutes of psychotherapy, report add-on code 90836 with the E/M code instead of 90834. An E/M service by another clinician does not, by itself, change the psychotherapy code.
Does the patient have to be in the room the entire session?
The patient must participate for all or part of the session, and family members or caregivers may join. If treatment focuses on family interactions rather than the patient's individual therapy, consider the applicable family psychotherapy code.
When can interactive complexity be added?
Add-on code 90785 may be reported when documented qualifying factors complicate communication, such as caregiver interference, mandated reporting to a third party, or specialized communication aids needed for a patient with limited expressive or receptive skills. Routine language translation alone does not qualify.
Can this code be reported on the same day as crisis psychotherapy?
Do not report 90834 with crisis psychotherapy codes 90839 or 90840 for the same clinician on the same date. Use the crisis codes when an acute crisis requires immediate assessment and intervention.
What documentation supports this code on audit?
Record total psychotherapy minutes or start and stop times, the modality used, the clinical focus, the patient's response, and how the session ties to the treatment plan. Do not count time spent on E/M activities or testing toward psychotherapy minutes.
90834 is in these specialty bundles: Behavioral health
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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