Find policies, billing codes, payers, states, and providers
CPT 90846: Family Psychotherapy Without Patient Present
CPT code 90846 covers family psychotherapy sessions conducted without the patient present, focusing on counseling family members about psychological issues that affect the patient and family functioning. Nationally, this code supports care coordination and family-centered approaches in behavioral health, recognizing the role of family dynamics in treatment outcomes and discharge planning. Payers analyzed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare.
Readers will find a concise overview of the clinical context for 90846, common sites of service, and how this code relates to family-focused behavioral health interventions. The publication summarizes coverage considerations and where 90846 fits among related services such as conjoint family psychotherapy and add-on services for interactive complexity. It also provides benchmarks and policy-relevant updates that affect coding and billing practices for family-only psychotherapy encounters, and identifies clinical scenarios where this service is typically used (for example, educating caregivers, addressing family conflict, and supporting treatment adherence).
This national-level summary is intended to inform coding officers, behavioral health clinicians, and revenue cycle staff about the purpose and typical use of CPT code 90846, and what to expect in payer coverage patterns and documentation requirements.
Customize your policy alerts
Sign up for cpt 90846 policy alerts
Get alerted when payer policies referencing 90846 are released or updated.
Monitor payer policy activity
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 90846 describes a family psychotherapy session conducted without the patient present, in which a qualified provider meets with family members to address psychological issues affecting the identified patient and the family system. The service type is family-focused psychotherapy and counseling aimed at understanding family dynamics, communication patterns, and caregiving challenges related to the patient’s mental health.
The typical site of service for this code is outpatient behavioral health settings, including mental health clinics, community behavioral health centers, and office-based practices where family meetings are conducted separately from the patient’s direct therapy sessions.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
Medicare's mean rate for CPT 90846 stands at $108.80, while BUCA's mean commercial rate is substantially higher at $251.70, highlighting a clear gap between public and average commercial reimbursement for this code. The median for Medicare is $107 and its interquartile spread (P75–P25) is $3, indicating very tight clustering around the mean across its 47 localities; BUCA's interquartile values (P75 $313.50, P25 $178.40) imply a wider central distribution with an IQR of $135.10.
Comparing interquartile ranges across payers, Blue Cross Blue Shield exhibits the widest IQR at $181.80 (P75 $425.70 minus P25 $240.90), followed by UnitedHealth Group with an IQR of $94.80 and Cigna at $71.20. Aetna shows a relatively narrow IQR of $51.30. These differences indicate substantial variation in commercial reimbursement concentration: Blue Cross Blue Shield and BUCA have broader middle spreads, while Medicare and Aetna are among the tightest.