CPT code 90837: Psychotherapy, 60 minutes, no E/M2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Oregon
Individual psychotherapy lasting at least 53 minutes is reported with 90837 when the clinician provides the patient's therapy without reporting an E/M service.
Medicare pays $166.65–$173.30 for 90837 in the office in Oregon, from Rest of Oregon to Portland, OR. 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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What 90837 covers
This extended individual psychotherapy session uses therapeutic techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy, supportive therapy, or trauma-focused work to treat a mental health or substance use condition. The clinician works with the patient; a family member or caregiver may participate when the focus remains the patient's individual treatment. Psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors may furnish the service in offices, outpatient settings, or eligible telehealth encounters.
Select 90837 when documented psychotherapy time reaches at least 53 minutes; shorter individual sessions may qualify for 90834 or 90832. Record the psychotherapy time, therapeutic approach, patient's response, and progress toward treatment goals. Do not count scheduling, documentation, or separately reported E/M work as psychotherapy time. If the same clinician also reports an E/M service, report the psychotherapy portion with add-on 90838 rather than 90837. CMS assigns 3.78 work RVUs; its office practice expense RVU is higher than its facility practice expense RVU, so place of service affects payment.
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 90837: 90834 vs 90837 · Psychotherapy CPT codes · Mental health billing
Where 90837 pays more and less in Oregon
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR | $173.30 | $138.05 |
| Rest of Oregon | $166.65 | $135.04 |
How the 90837 rate is calculated
Each of 90837’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 · 90837
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work3.78
3.78 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.20
1.20 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.02
0.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
5.0000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$167.00
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 90837
90837 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 · 90837
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
$167.00
- Non-facility (office)
- $167.00
- Facility
- $135.27
Higher because the practice carries its own overhead.
90837 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 90834Psychotherapy session45 minutes, without E/M
- Choose by documented psychotherapy time: at least 53 minutes supports 90837, while 38 to 52 minutes supports 90834. A 50-minute session does not meet the threshold for 90837.
- 90838PsychotherapyWith E/M, 60 minutes
- 90838 is the psychotherapy add-on paired with an E/M code when the same clinician provides at least 53 minutes of psychotherapy and reports E/M. Report 90837 for the psychotherapy session without that clinician's E/M service.
- 90839Crisis psychotherapyInitial 60 minutes
- 90839 describes urgent crisis assessment and intervention. Select 90837 for individual psychotherapy that meets its time threshold when the encounter is not crisis psychotherapy.
- 90847Family therapyPatient present, 50 minutes
- 90847 is family psychotherapy with the patient present and family interactions as the treatment focus. Report 90837 when treatment focuses on the individual patient, even if a family member participates.
90837 billing questions
What is the minimum time needed to report 90837?
Document at least 53 minutes of psychotherapy. Sessions of 38 to 52 minutes are reported with 90834, and sessions of 16 to 37 minutes with 90832.
Can a psychiatrist report 90837 with an office E/M visit?
When the same clinician reports a separate E/M service and provides at least 53 minutes of psychotherapy, report add-on 90838 with the E/M code instead of 90837. Keep E/M time separate from psychotherapy time.
Can interactive complexity be added?
Yes. Add-on 90785 may be reported when its communication requirements are met and documented, such as using play equipment to overcome a child's inability to communicate through typical language. Routine use of toys alone does not qualify.
Does a family member's participation change the code?
Not when the patient is present and the focus remains the patient's individual treatment. For family psychotherapy focused on family interactions, use 90847 when the patient is present or 90846 when the patient is absent.
When is crisis psychotherapy reported instead of 90837?
Use 90839 for an encounter requiring urgent crisis assessment and intervention, rather than selecting 90837 solely because the session lasts at least 53 minutes. Select by the service furnished and its documented time.
Does a 60-minute appointment automatically qualify for 90837?
No. At least 53 minutes must be spent providing psychotherapy; exclude scheduling, documentation, and time spent on a separately reported E/M service.
90837 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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