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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01

90853 in Redding

Office / nonfacility

$31.36

Base rate per service

Facility setting

$24.77

Base rate per service

Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.

Behavioral health

About 90853: Group psychotherapy session

Report group psychotherapy when a clinician provides therapeutic treatment to a patient as part of a group, rather than in an individual or family session.

A clinician leads a therapeutic session in which multiple patients work on behavioral health concerns through guided discussion, therapeutic exercises, and interaction with the group. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and other qualified mental health professionals may provide the service in settings such as an outpatient office or hospital outpatient department. The group session is distinct from a meeting limited to multiple families receiving treatment together.

Report 90853 for each patient receiving group treatment, supported by that patient’s record—not once for the group as a whole. Documentation should identify the group service, its therapeutic focus and interventions, and the patient’s attendance, participation, response, and connection to the treatment plan. Select this code for group psychotherapy, not for an individual psychotherapy session or family psychotherapy. CMS assigns work, practice-expense, and malpractice relative values; the practice-expense values differ between office and facility settings.

Where the value comes from

  • Work RVU0.67 · 74%
  • Practice expense (office) RVU0.23 · 25%
  • Malpractice RVU0.01 · 1%

398.5K

Medicare services in 2024 · #259 by national volume

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.

90853 compared with similar codes

Office rates for Redding, from the same CMS release.

90849

Family group therapy

Multiple families

$42.15

Use 90849 when the group psychotherapy is for multiple families. Use 90853 for group psychotherapy that is not a multiple-family group.

90832

Psychotherapy session

30 minutes, without E/M

$88.77

90832 represents individual psychotherapy; 90853 represents psychotherapy delivered to a patient as part of a group.

90847

Family therapy

Patient present, 50 minutes

$112.15

90847 is family psychotherapy with the patient present. 90853 is group psychotherapy, not a family session.

The same code, a different location

How does Redding compare?

In Bakersfield, the office rate for 90853 is $31.43—$0.07 higher than the $31.36 rate in Redding. Both use the same code, release and participation basis.

90853 across payment areas

Same release and payment basis · bars start at $0

  1. Redding · This locality

    $31.36

  2. Bakersfield

    $31.43

    $0.07 higher than Redding

  3. Chico

    $31.36

    The same base rate than Redding

  4. El Centro

    $31.36

    The same base rate than Redding

  5. Fresno

    $31.36

    The same base rate than Redding

  6. Hanford-Corcoran

    $31.36

    The same base rate than Redding

  7. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty)

    $32.61

    $1.25 higher than Redding

Other payment areas listed in California appear first, followed by selected cross-country examples. The chart compares amounts, not distance.

Across 109 of 109 CMS payment localities with a supported office rate, 90853 ranges from $29.15 in Arkansas to $41.93 in Alaska*. This is a geographic range, not an average.

The code’s RVUs stay the same in these comparisons. Geographic adjustments to work, practice expense and malpractice change the dollar amount. A city name alone may not identify the payment area for a service address.

Compare all 108 other payment areas

  • Madera

    California · 90853

    Office

    $31.36

    Facility

    $24.77

    The same base rate than Redding for the office setting.

  • Merced

    California · 90853

    Office

    $31.36

    Facility

    $24.77

    The same base rate than Redding for the office setting.

  • Modesto

    California · 90853

    Office

    $31.36

    Facility

    $24.77

    The same base rate than Redding for the office setting.

  • Napa

    California · 90853

    Office

    $34.08

    Facility

    $26.16

    $2.72 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura

    California · 90853

    Office

    $32.29

    Facility

    $25.19

    $0.93 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of California

    California · 90853

    Office

    $31.36

    Facility

    $24.77

    The same base rate than Redding for the office setting.

  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario

    California · 90853

    Office

    $31.49

    Facility

    $24.90

    $0.13 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom

    California · 90853

    Office

    $32.30

    Facility

    $25.31

    $0.94 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Salinas

    California · 90853

    Office

    $32.16

    Facility

    $25.19

    $0.80 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad

    California · 90853

    Office

    $32.42

    Facility

    $25.23

    $1.06 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty)

    California · 90853

    Office

    $35.49

    Facility

    $27.01

    $4.13 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty)

    California · 90853

    Office

    $35.48

    Facility

    $27.00

    $4.12 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)

    California · 90853

    Office

    $36.10

    Facility

    $27.43

    $4.74 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty)

    California · 90853

    Office

    $36.05

    Facility

    $27.38

    $4.69 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles

    California · 90853

    Office

    $31.69

    Facility

    $24.84

    $0.33 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Santa Cruz-Watsonville

    California · 90853

    Office

    $32.36

    Facility

    $25.06

    $1.00 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Santa Maria-Santa Barbara

    California · 90853

    Office

    $32.14

    Facility

    $25.13

    $0.78 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Santa Rosa-Petaluma

    California · 90853

    Office

    $32.66

    Facility

    $25.28

    $1.30 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Stockton

    California · 90853

    Office

    $31.36

    Facility

    $24.77

    The same base rate than Redding for the office setting.

  • Vallejo

    California · 90853

    Office

    $34.07

    Facility

    $26.14

    $2.71 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Visalia

    California · 90853

    Office

    $31.36

    Facility

    $24.77

    The same base rate than Redding for the office setting.

  • Yuba City

    California · 90853

    Office

    $31.36

    Facility

    $24.77

    The same base rate than Redding for the office setting.

  • Dc + Md/Va Suburbs

    District of Columbia · 90853

    Office

    $33.01

    Facility

    $25.93

    $1.65 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Miami

    Florida · 90853

    Office

    $31.22

    Facility

    $24.96

    $0.14 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Chicago

    Illinois · 90853

    Office

    $31.02

    Facility

    $24.98

    $0.34 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Manhattan

    New York · 90853

    Office

    $33.27

    Facility

    $26.28

    $1.91 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Alaska*

    Alaska · 90853

    Office

    $41.93

    Facility

    $35.53

    $10.57 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Alabama

    Alabama · 90853

    Office

    $29.29

    Facility

    $24.03

    $2.07 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Arkansas

    Arkansas · 90853

    Office

    $29.15

    Facility

    $23.99

    $2.21 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Arizona

    Arizona · 90853

    Office

    $30.11

    Facility

    $24.28

    $1.25 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Colorado

    Colorado · 90853

    Office

    $31.08

    Facility

    $24.68

    $0.28 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Connecticut

    Connecticut · 90853

    Office

    $31.50

    Facility

    $25.03

    $0.14 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Delaware

    Delaware · 90853

    Office

    $30.38

    Facility

    $24.44

    $0.98 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Fort Lauderdale

    Florida · 90853

    Office

    $30.76

    Facility

    $24.67

    $0.60 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Florida

    Florida · 90853

    Office

    $30.22

    Facility

    $24.48

    $1.14 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Atlanta

    Georgia · 90853

    Office

    $30.65

    Facility

    $24.54

    $0.71 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Georgia

    Georgia · 90853

    Office

    $29.63

    Facility

    $24.27

    $1.73 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Hawaii, Guam

    Hawaii · 90853

    Office

    $31.31

    Facility

    $24.47

    $0.05 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Iowa

    Iowa · 90853

    Office

    $29.54

    Facility

    $24.04

    $1.82 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Idaho

    Idaho · 90853

    Office

    $29.60

    Facility

    $24.07

    $1.76 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • East St. Louis

    Illinois · 90853

    Office

    $30.12

    Facility

    $24.59

    $1.24 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Illinois

    Illinois · 90853

    Office

    $29.91

    Facility

    $24.43

    $1.45 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Suburban Chicago

    Illinois · 90853

    Office

    $31.02

    Facility

    $24.84

    $0.34 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Indiana

    Indiana · 90853

    Office

    $29.66

    Facility

    $24.09

    $1.70 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Kansas

    Kansas · 90853

    Office

    $29.49

    Facility

    $24.06

    $1.87 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Kentucky

    Kentucky · 90853

    Office

    $29.51

    Facility

    $24.17

    $1.85 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • New Orleans

    Louisiana · 90853

    Office

    $29.99

    Facility

    $24.33

    $1.37 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Louisiana

    Louisiana · 90853

    Office

    $29.50

    Facility

    $24.18

    $1.86 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Metropolitan Boston

    Massachusetts · 90853

    Office

    $32.77

    Facility

    $25.59

    $1.41 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Massachusetts

    Massachusetts · 90853

    Office

    $31.09

    Facility

    $24.76

    $0.27 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Baltimore/Surr. Cntys

    Maryland · 90853

    Office

    $31.39

    Facility

    $24.94

    $0.03 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Maryland

    Maryland · 90853

    Office

    $30.68

    Facility

    $24.60

    $0.68 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Maine

    Maine · 90853

    Office

    $29.65

    Facility

    $24.12

    $1.71 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Southern Maine

    Maine · 90853

    Office

    $30.20

    Facility

    $24.24

    $1.16 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Detroit

    Michigan · 90853

    Office

    $30.36

    Facility

    $24.55

    $1.00 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Michigan

    Michigan · 90853

    Office

    $29.77

    Facility

    $24.28

    $1.59 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Minnesota

    Minnesota · 90853

    Office

    $30.38

    Facility

    $24.20

    $0.98 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Metropolitan Kansas City

    Missouri · 90853

    Office

    $29.92

    Facility

    $24.27

    $1.44 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Metropolitan St. Louis

    Missouri · 90853

    Office

    $30.03

    Facility

    $24.30

    $1.33 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Missouri

    Missouri · 90853

    Office

    $29.33

    Facility

    $24.14

    $2.03 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Mississippi

    Mississippi · 90853

    Office

    $29.24

    Facility

    $24.06

    $2.12 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Montana**

    Montana · 90853

    Office

    $30.39

    Facility

    $24.38

    $0.97 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • North Carolina

    North Carolina · 90853

    Office

    $29.76

    Facility

    $24.15

    $1.60 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • North Dakota**

    North Dakota · 90853

    Office

    $30.20

    Facility

    $24.18

    $1.16 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Nebraska

    Nebraska · 90853

    Office

    $29.60

    Facility

    $24.05

    $1.76 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • New Hampshire

    New Hampshire · 90853

    Office

    $30.67

    Facility

    $24.41

    $0.69 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Northern Nj

    New Jersey · 90853

    Office

    $33.06

    Facility

    $26.08

    $1.70 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of New Jersey

    New Jersey · 90853

    Office

    $32.03

    Facility

    $25.46

    $0.67 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • New Mexico

    New Mexico · 90853

    Office

    $29.82

    Facility

    $24.31

    $1.54 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Nevada**

    Nevada · 90853

    Office

    $30.35

    Facility

    $24.33

    $1.01 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Nyc Suburbs/Long Island

    New York · 90853

    Office

    $33.57

    Facility

    $26.42

    $2.21 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Poughkpsie/N Nyc Suburbs

    New York · 90853

    Office

    $32.20

    Facility

    $25.62

    $0.84 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Queens

    New York · 90853

    Office

    $33.37

    Facility

    $26.27

    $2.01 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of New York

    New York · 90853

    Office

    $29.91

    Facility

    $24.20

    $1.45 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Ohio

    Ohio · 90853

    Office

    $29.73

    Facility

    $24.24

    $1.63 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Oklahoma

    Oklahoma · 90853

    Office

    $29.50

    Facility

    $24.13

    $1.86 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Portland

    Oregon · 90853

    Office

    $31.52

    Facility

    $24.84

    $0.16 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Oregon

    Oregon · 90853

    Office

    $30.26

    Facility

    $24.28

    $1.10 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Metropolitan Philadelphia

    Pennsylvania · 90853

    Office

    $31.18

    Facility

    $24.92

    $0.18 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Pennsylvania

    Pennsylvania · 90853

    Office

    $29.75

    Facility

    $24.23

    $1.61 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Puerto Rico

    Puerto Rico · 90853

    Office

    $30.47

    Facility

    $24.40

    $0.89 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rhode Island

    Rhode Island · 90853

    Office

    $31.04

    Facility

    $24.83

    $0.32 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • South Carolina

    South Carolina · 90853

    Office

    $29.76

    Facility

    $24.21

    $1.60 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • South Dakota**

    South Dakota · 90853

    Office

    $30.17

    Facility

    $24.16

    $1.19 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Tennessee

    Tennessee · 90853

    Office

    $29.54

    Facility

    $24.08

    $1.82 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Austin

    Texas · 90853

    Office

    $30.85

    Facility

    $24.49

    $0.51 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Beaumont

    Texas · 90853

    Office

    $29.68

    Facility

    $24.21

    $1.68 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Brazoria

    Texas · 90853

    Office

    $30.43

    Facility

    $24.47

    $0.93 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Dallas

    Texas · 90853

    Office

    $30.52

    Facility

    $24.53

    $0.84 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Fort Worth

    Texas · 90853

    Office

    $30.45

    Facility

    $24.52

    $0.91 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Galveston

    Texas · 90853

    Office

    $30.46

    Facility

    $24.49

    $0.90 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Houston

    Texas · 90853

    Office

    $30.65

    Facility

    $24.68

    $0.71 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Texas

    Texas · 90853

    Office

    $29.97

    Facility

    $24.27

    $1.39 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Utah

    Utah · 90853

    Office

    $29.90

    Facility

    $24.25

    $1.46 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Virginia

    Virginia · 90853

    Office

    $30.17

    Facility

    $24.26

    $1.19 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Virgin Islands

    United States Virgin Islands · 90853

    Office

    $30.47

    Facility

    $24.40

    $0.89 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Vermont

    Vermont · 90853

    Office

    $30.15

    Facility

    $24.20

    $1.21 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Washington

    Washington · 90853

    Office

    $31.01

    Facility

    $24.68

    $0.35 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Seattle (King Cnty)

    Washington · 90853

    Office

    $33.20

    Facility

    $25.82

    $1.84 higher than Redding for the office setting.

  • Wisconsin

    Wisconsin · 90853

    Office

    $29.84

    Facility

    $24.08

    $1.52 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • West Virginia

    West Virginia · 90853

    Office

    $29.53

    Facility

    $24.31

    $1.83 lower than Redding for the office setting.

  • Wyoming**

    Wyoming · 90853

    Office

    $30.31

    Facility

    $24.30

    $1.05 lower than Redding for the office setting.

See how rates vary across the country

90853 · Office / nonfacility · Non-QP. Choose a state to explore its payment localities. A range means the amount varies within that state.

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

$29.15

$41.93

Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.

View all state and territory rates as a table
State / territoryRate rangeLocalities
AK$41.931
AL$29.291
AR$29.151
AZ$30.111
CA$31.36–$36.1029
CO$31.081
CT$31.501
DC$33.011
DE$30.381
FL$30.22–$31.223
GA$29.63–$30.652
GU$31.311
HI$31.311
IA$29.541
ID$29.601
IL$29.91–$31.024
IN$29.661
KS$29.491
KY$29.511
LA$29.50–$29.992
MA$31.09–$32.772
MD$30.68–$33.013
ME$29.65–$30.202
MI$29.77–$30.362
MN$30.381
MO$29.33–$30.033
MS$29.241
MT$30.391
NC$29.761
ND$30.201
NE$29.601
NH$30.671
NJ$32.03–$33.062
NM$29.821
NV$30.351
NY$29.91–$33.575
OH$29.731
OK$29.501
OR$30.26–$31.522
PA$29.75–$31.182
PR$30.471
RI$31.041
SC$29.761
SD$30.171
TN$29.541
TX$29.68–$30.858
UT$29.901
VA$30.17–$33.012
VI$30.471
VT$30.151
WA$31.01–$33.202
WI$29.841
WV$29.531
WY$30.311

Explore 90853 on the national rate map →

Where does this rate apply?

Redding is a Medicare payment area. Our Census mapping connects it to 32 cities and communities in California, including the examples shown here.

Some communities span more than one payment area. Follow a city link to compare all of its mapped areas, or check the service-location ZIP above for an address-level starting point.

Browse all communities in California →

Why are the office and facility amounts different?

For 90853 in Redding, the physician’s office rate is $31.36 and the facility-setting rate is $24.77: a difference of $6.59.

The calculation uses a different practice-expense RVU for each setting. Both amounts here are physician fee-schedule amounts. The facility figure does not include a hospital’s separate charges, so this comparison does not tell you the total cost of receiving care in each setting.

See the inputs behind this difference →

Use this rate

What is a percentage of Medicare worth?

Turn a percentage into dollars for 90853 in Redding. This uses the base rate on this page, so the locality and release stay consistent.

Reference amount per service

$34.50

$31.36 × 110% = $34.50

A contract may specify another Medicare year or additional adjustments. This is percentage arithmetic on the displayed base rate, not a claim adjudication.

Working with a whole code list?

Compare an offer across your annual code mix, including an older Medicare schedule or flat per-code rates.

Compare your contract offer →

How this local rate is calculated

Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 90853 in Redding.

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

11,541

Code
90853
Physician work
0.67
Practice expense
0.23
Malpractice
0.01

GPCI2026.csv

19

Locality
Redding
Physician work
1.017
Practice expense
1.096
Malpractice
0.536
Office / nonfacility calculation for 90853 in Redding
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work0.67× 1.0170.6814
Practice expense0.23× 1.0960.2521
Malpractice0.01× 0.5360.0054
Total RVUs0.9388
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Office / nonfacility rate, Redding$31.36

Values as parsed from CMS release RVU26D, effective 2026-10-01. The amount is rounded to the nearest cent only at the end.

Open 90853 in the RVU calculator →

Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula

Office / nonfacility

Office / nonfacility calculation inputs
ComponentRVULocal GPCI
Work0.671.017
Practice expense0.231.096
Malpractice0.010.536

(0.67 × 1.017 + 0.23 × 1.096 + 0.01 × 0.536) × $33.4009 = $31.36

Facility

Facility calculation inputs
ComponentRVULocal GPCI
Work0.671.017
Practice expense0.051.096
Malpractice0.010.536

(0.67 × 1.017 + 0.05 × 1.096 + 0.01 × 0.536) × $33.4009 = $24.77

The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.

How this rate has changed

90853 · Office / nonfacility

$31.36

Effective 2026-10-01

The base rate is $2.61 higher than on 2025-10-01, moving from $28.75 to $31.36 (9.1%).

It is unchanged from the immediately preceding available release, effective 2026-07-01.

Base rate by release · bars start at $0 · select a bar to compare

One bar per available release, ordered by effective date. Missing rates remain gaps. These comparisons hold the code, setting and locality identifiers constant; they do not isolate which policy or input caused a change.

What changed, release by release

  1. January 1, 2026

    RVU26A

    $28.75changed to$31.36

    • Conversion factor 32.3465 changed to 33.4009
    • Work RVU 0.65 changed to 0.67
    • Practice expense RVU 0.20 changed to 0.23
    • Malpractice RVU 0.02 changed to 0.01
    • Work GPCI 1.014 changed to 1.017
    • Practice expense GPCI 1.093 changed to 1.096
    • Malpractice GPCI 0.560 changed to 0.536

    Held through RVU26B, RVU26C, RVU26D.

  2. January 1, 2025

    RVU25A

    Earliest loaded release: $28.75

    Held through RVU25B, RVU25C, RVU25D.

Explore release dates and calculate this code in an earlier period →

Each row uses the accepted CMS release effective on that date and the same contractor and locality identifiers. Missing rates stay visible. Historical boundaries may differ; verify the service address for an older claim.

Inspect every release and its CMS source
Effective fromOffice / nonfacilityFacilityCMS release
2026-10-01$31.36$24.77RVU26D
2026-07-01$31.36$24.77RVU26C
2026-04-01$31.36$24.77RVU26B
2026-01-01$31.36$24.77RVU26A
2025-10-01$28.75$24.51RVU25D
2025-07-01$28.75$24.51RVU25C
2025-04-01$28.75$24.51RVU25B
2025-01-01$28.75$24.51RVU25A

90853 billing questions

How is 90853 different from individual psychotherapy?

90853 describes treatment delivered in a group setting. Use an individual psychotherapy code when the clinician treats the patient individually rather than as part of a group.

Is 90853 billed once for the group or for each patient?

Report the service for each patient who receives group treatment. Each patient’s own record must support attendance, participation, and medical necessity.

Does 90853 cover multiple-family group therapy?

No. Multiple-family group psychotherapy is represented by 90849; 90853 is for group psychotherapy that is not a multiple-family group.

What should the record include for 90853?

Document the group’s therapeutic focus and interventions, the patient’s attendance and participation, the patient’s response, and how the service relates to the treatment plan.

Does group size require a modifier?

Group size is not specified by 90853. Record the patient’s attendance and participation in the clinical note.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.

Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.

RVUs for 90853PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 11,541 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for ReddingGPCI2026.csv, line 19 (RVU26D)
Open CMS sourceHow this rate is calculatedBuild a fee sheet