CPT code 90840: Crisis psychotherapy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Nebraska
Report 90840 for each additional 30 minutes of crisis psychotherapy beyond the initial crisis service, when a patient needs urgent psychiatric intervention.
Medicare pays $75.25 for 90840 in the office in Nebraska (Nebraska). 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.
On this page 9 sections
What 90840 covers
90840 represents additional time spent providing psychotherapy during an acute psychiatric crisis, such as severe emotional distress or an urgent safety concern. A physician or other qualified health care professional may provide the service in an office, emergency department, or another setting where crisis care is delivered. The intervention addresses the immediate crisis through assessment, therapeutic support, and planning for stabilization or disposition; it is not a routine scheduled psychotherapy session.
Report 90840 only with 90839, which covers the initial crisis service. Use 90840 for each additional 30 minutes after that initial service, following applicable CPT time thresholds. Documentation should identify the crisis, describe the interventions and the patient’s response, and support the total time spent in crisis psychotherapy. CMS treats 90840 as an add-on code billed with its primary procedure and paid within that procedure’s global period.
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 90840: Psychotherapy CPT codes · Mental health billing
90840 in Nebraska
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | $75.25 | $61.68 |
How the 90840 rate is calculated
Each of 90840’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 · 90840
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.71
1.71 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.58
0.58 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.02
0.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
2.3100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$77.16
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 90840
The CMS indicators that decide how 90840 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 90840
Crisis psychotherapy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
90840 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 90839Crisis psychotherapy
- 90839 reports the initial crisis psychotherapy service; 90840 reports each additional 30 minutes and must be paired with 90839.
- 90837Psychotherapy
- 90837 is for a routine 60-minute individual psychotherapy session. Use 90840 only for additional time in crisis psychotherapy reported with 90839.
- 90834Psychotherapy session
- 90834 reports a 45-minute individual psychotherapy session, rather than additional crisis-service time beyond the initial service.
90840 billing questions
Can 90840 be billed by itself?
No. Report it only with 90839, the primary code for the initial crisis psychotherapy service.
When should 90840 be added to 90839?
Use 90840 when crisis psychotherapy continues beyond the initial service represented by 90839. Each 90840 unit represents an additional 30 minutes, subject to applicable CPT time thresholds.
What documentation supports an additional unit?
Record the nature of the crisis, the therapeutic interventions, the patient’s response, and the total time spent. The record should support the additional time beyond the 90839 service.
Is 90840 appropriate for a long routine therapy session?
No. It is for additional time in crisis psychotherapy reported with 90839, not simply for extending a scheduled psychotherapy visit.
Can a modifier replace the required 90839 pairing?
No. 90840 must be reported with 90839; a modifier does not make it a stand-alone service.
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
Fee sheets
Put 90840 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →