How Therapists Bill Crisis Sessions
What Is a Crisis Session?
When a client experiences complex, acute, or life-threatening distress that requires immediate clinical attention, mental health professionals, or other qualified healthcare workers, conduct a crisis session (American Medical Billing Association [AMBA], 2025). The situation may involve concerns about the client's safety, the safety of others, or another complex issue that requires urgent assessment and intervention (AMBA, 2025). A crisis session may include a mental health assessment, a mental status exam, and developing a plan for the client’s immediate safety and well-being (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS], 2025).
How to Bill for a Crisis Session
90839 and 90840
Typically, therapists use the CPT® code 90839: “Psychotherapy for crisis; first 60 minutes” to bill for a crisis session and, if needed, use the add-on code 90840 to report additional block(s) of time, of up to 30 minutes (American Medical Association [AMA], 2026). The CPT® code title is a bit misleading though. 90839 covers a specific time block of 30 to 74 minutes (AMA, 2026). Even for crisis sessions, therapists use code 90832 (or 90833 with E/M services) if the session lasts 16 to 29 minutes (AMA, 2026).
For each additional 30 minutes beyond the first 74 of a crisis session, therapists bill the add-on code 90840 (AMA, 2026). For example, let’s say you have a crisis session of 135 minutes. You’d first list the code 90839 on the claim form to account for the first 74 minutes. For the remaining time, you’d add on the code 90840 twice, adding two more codes, one line each, on the claim form underneath the 90839 line. So you’d end with three service lines total.
G0017 and G0018 for Non-Facility Settings
While code 90839 applies in many therapeutic settings, such as a therapist’s office, a telehealth visit, or even a hospital, use codes G0017 and G0018 to code for crisis sessions in “any place of service at which the non-facility rate for psychotherapy for crisis services applies, other than the office setting” (American Academy of Professional Coders [AAPC], 2025). Put plainly, this means the session didn’t take place in a hospital (a facility) or a provider’s office; it took place somewhere using a non-facility rate (CMS, 2025).
Some applicable place of service (POS) codes follow:
03 - School
04 - Homeless shelter
12 - The client’s private residence
13 - Assisted living facility
14 - Group home (AAPC, 2025).
Use code G0017 to bill such a crisis session in a non-facility setting, which again covers 30 to 74 minutes. Use G0018 as an add-on code to account for each additional 30 minutes after the first 74 minutes. You may report code G0018 when “an additional 16 minutes is spent, following the midpoint rule” (AAPC, 2025).
References
American Academy of Professional Coders. (2025, May 1). Understanding psychotherapy for crisis coding. https://www.aapc.com/blog/92648-understanding-psychotherapy-for-crisis-coding/?srsltid=AfmBOoqb78tRJx8AZAW_ukEV5tcJqdyrOLrVNEzItqp9SEBF7T0PjW0y
American Medical Association. (2026). AMA CPT® 2026 professional edition.
American Medical Billing Association. (2025). Mental health billing [Online course]. https://www.americanmedicalbillingassociation.com/mental-health-billing-course/
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2025, February 5). Psychotherapy for crisis. https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/fee-schedules/physician-fee-schedule/psychotherapy-crisis
Educational Disclaimer
The information provided in this blog is intended for educational and informational purposes only and reflects general mental health billing guidelines and industry best practices available at the time of publication. SteadyStream Billing makes every reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented; however, billing requirements, payer policies, regulations, and coding guidelines may change over time.
Readers are responsible for verifying current payer requirements, applicable regulations, and practice-specific guidelines before making billing, coding, or compliance decisions. SteadyStream Billing does not guarantee that the information provided is applicable to every individual practice, payer, or clinical situation.
This content is not intended to replace official payer guidance, legal advice, compliance consultation, or professional billing services. Providers remain responsible for ensuring their own compliance with applicable healthcare regulations and payer requirements.
CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association.
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