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CPT 90887: Family/Caregiver Education and Explanation of Psychiatric Results

CPT code 90887 covers clinician time spent explaining psychiatric or medical assessment results and care information to a patient’s family members or caregivers, and giving advice on how to assist with the patient’s care. This communication-focused service supports caregiver education, care coordination, and family involvement in treatment plans — elements that can improve adherence, safety, and outcomes in behavioral health and medical settings. Nationally, 90887 is relevant to outpatient behavioral health practices, hospital outpatient departments, and integrated care programs that engage families in care.

Key payers included in this overview are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise description of the code’s clinical purpose, typical service settings, and how the service fits into care pathways. The publication summarizes common reimbursement and billing considerations, available benchmarks where provided, and policy context affecting coverage and use of family/caregiver explanation services. The content is intended to help administrators, coders, and clinicians understand what 90887 represents, where it is typically used, and the core issues that influence its application across payers.

Data not available in the input for specific rate benchmarks, associated taxonomies, ICD-10 mappings, or payer-specific coverage edits.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 90887 describes a service in which a clinician interprets or explains results of psychiatric or medical evaluations, other procedures, or information about the patient’s care to family members or caregivers and provides advice on how to help care for the patient. The service focuses on family/caregiver education, support, and guidance related to the patient’s mental health or medical condition.

Service type: Family or caregiver education and counseling related to patient care
Typical site of service: Outpatient clinic, psychiatric practice, hospital outpatient department, or other settings where family or caregivers receive explanation and guidance about patient care

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CPT 90887: Family/Caregiver Education and Explanation of Psychiatric Results

Data not available in the input for specific rate benchmarks, associated taxonomies, ICD-10 mappings, or payer-specific coverage edits.

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Family or caregiver education and counseling related to patient care
Typical site of service: Outpatient clinic, psychiatric practice, hospital outpatient department, or other settings where family or caregivers receive explanation and guidance about patient care

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical scenario involves an adult patient recently evaluated by a psychiatrist for worsening mood and cognitive decline following hospitalization for a complex medical condition. The psychiatrist completes a battery of psychiatric assessments and documents findings, then meets with the patient’s spouse and adult child to interpret results, explain the psychiatric diagnosis, discuss prognosis, review medication effects and behavioral strategies, and provide guidance on caregiving responsibilities. The clinical workflow: initial psychiatric evaluation and testing are completed (office or hospital inpatient setting), the psychiatrist reviews chart and test results, and schedules or conducts a focused family/caregiver meeting to communicate findings, clarify treatment plans, address safety concerns, and offer resources. This service commonly occurs in outpatient psychiatric clinics, hospital inpatient units (including psychiatry consults on medical wards), skilled nursing facilities, or via synchronous telemedicine when family caregivers cannot attend in person. Typical participants include the billing psychiatrist or psychiatric advanced practice provider, the patient (when appropriate), family members or caregivers, and occasionally a social worker or case manager who coordinates follow-up care and community resources.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when only the reporting clinician’s professional service is billed separate from an institutional component.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when other distinct services are billed the same day and payer requires this modifier to indicate multiple procedures.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the interpretive/explanatory encounter is partially reduced or abbreviated.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if the family meeting was started but discontinued for documented clinical reasons.
`95`	Synchronous telemedicine service	Use when the family/caregiver interpretation is delivered via real-time telehealth.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the counseling/interpretation is substantially beyond usual time and intensity, with documentation supporting medical necessity.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Rarely applicable; report only if unusual anesthesia was required during a related procedure documented with the service.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use only if two distinct psychiatric or medical specialist clinicians jointly provide the interpretive service and payer requires this modifier.
`78`	Return to operating/procedure room	Use when the interpretive service immediately follows a related procedure requiring a return to the procedure area.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant (appropriate clinician) legitimately assists and payer permits modifier for joint service.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2084P0800X	Psychiatry & Neurology - Psychiatry	Psychiatrists commonly bill for family/caregiver interpretation of psychiatric evaluations.
2084P0802X	Psychiatry & Neurology - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry	Child/adolescent psychiatrists provide caregiver counseling regarding pediatric psychiatric assessments.
363LP0800X	Behavioral Health - Licensed Professional Counselor	Behavioral health clinicians may provide caregiver education in outpatient settings when credentialed.
367500000X	Behavioral Health & Social Service Providers - Clinical Social Worker	Clinical social workers often participate in caregiver education and care coordination accompanying this service.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`F32.1`	Major depressive disorder, single episode, moderate	Common psychiatric diagnosis for which clinicians interpret assessment results to caregivers and discuss treatment and safety.
`F33.1`	Major depressive disorder, recurrent, moderate	Recurrent mood disorders frequently prompt family education on warning signs, medication adherence, and relapse prevention.
`F41.1`	Generalized anxiety disorder	Anxiety disorders often require caregiver guidance on behavioral strategies and monitoring.
`F20.9`	Schizophrenia, unspecified	Family interpretation of testing and medication effects is critical for adherence and safety planning in psychotic disorders.
`F03.90`	Unspecified dementia without behavioral disturbance	Dementia evaluations commonly lead to caregiver education about cognitive findings, functional impact, and care strategies.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`90791`	Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation (no medical services)	Often performed before family/caregiver interpretation to establish diagnosis and assessment findings that are then explained to caregivers.
`90834`	Psychotherapy, 45 minutes with patient and/or family member	Provides therapeutic counseling that may occur alongside or instead of an interpretation session when direct patient psychotherapy is indicated.
`90839`	Psychotherapy for crisis, first 60 minutes	Used when the interpretation/education session involves crisis intervention for the patient or family; may be billed when clinically appropriate.
`99307`	Subsequent nursing facility care, days 3–14	In SNF settings a facility-based clinician documents psychiatric consult and then interprets results to family/caregivers; this code documents the clinical follow-up.
`99406`	Smoking and tobacco use cessation counseling, intermediate	Example of a related counseling code that may be billed for specific behavior-change counseling provided to caregivers as part of a broader education plan.

CPT 90863: Pharmacologic Management After Psychotherapy

CPT-90865-NARCOTIC-INDUCED-HYPNOSIS-FOR-PSYCHIATRIC-DIAGNOSIS

CPT 90865: Narcotic-Induced Hypnosis for Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment

CPT-90867-TRANSCRANIAL-MAGNETIC-STIMULATION-INITIAL-TREATMENT

CPT 90867: Initial Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment

CPT-90868-TRANSCRANIAL-MAGNETIC-STIMULATION-SESSION-MANAGEMENT

CPT 90868: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Subsequent Session

CPT-90869-TMS-SUBSEQUENT-MOTOR-THRESHOLD-REDETERMINATION

CPT 90869: TMS Subsequent Motor Threshold Redetermination

CPT-90870-ELECTROCONVULSIVE-THERAPY-PROCEDURAL-SEIZURE

CPT 90870: Electroconvulsive Therapy to Induce Seizure

CPT-90875-PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL-THERAPY-BIOFEEDBACK-PSYCHOTHERAPY-30MIN

CPT 90875: Psychophysiological Therapy with Biofeedback and Psychotherapy, 30 Minutes

CPT-90876-PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL-THERAPY-BIOFEEDBACK-PSYCHOTHERAPY-45MIN

CPT 90876: Psychophysiological Therapy with Biofeedback, 45 Minutes

CPT-90880-HYPNOTHERAPY-PSYCHOTHERAPY

CPT 90880: Hypnotherapy Psychotherapy

CPT-90882-ENVIRONMENTAL-COORDINATION-PSYCHIATRIC-CARE

CPT 90882: Environmental Coordination for Psychiatric Care

Showing 1–10 of 13

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when only the reporting clinician’s professional service is billed separate from an institutional component.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when other distinct services are billed the same day and payer requires this modifier to indicate multiple procedures.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the interpretive/explanatory encounter is partially reduced or abbreviated.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if the family meeting was started but discontinued for documented clinical reasons.
`95`	Synchronous telemedicine service	Use when the family/caregiver interpretation is delivered via real-time telehealth.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the counseling/interpretation is substantially beyond usual time and intensity, with documentation supporting medical necessity.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Rarely applicable; report only if unusual anesthesia was required during a related procedure documented with the service.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use only if two distinct psychiatric or medical specialist clinicians jointly provide the interpretive service and payer requires this modifier.
`78`	Return to operating/procedure room	Use when the interpretive service immediately follows a related procedure requiring a return to the procedure area.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant (appropriate clinician) legitimately assists and payer permits modifier for joint service.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2084P0800X	Psychiatry & Neurology - Psychiatry	Psychiatrists commonly bill for family/caregiver interpretation of psychiatric evaluations.
2084P0802X	Psychiatry & Neurology - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry	Child/adolescent psychiatrists provide caregiver counseling regarding pediatric psychiatric assessments.
363LP0800X	Behavioral Health - Licensed Professional Counselor	Behavioral health clinicians may provide caregiver education in outpatient settings when credentialed.
367500000X	Behavioral Health & Social Service Providers - Clinical Social Worker	Clinical social workers often participate in caregiver education and care coordination accompanying this service.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`F32.1`	Major depressive disorder, single episode, moderate	Common psychiatric diagnosis for which clinicians interpret assessment results to caregivers and discuss treatment and safety.
`F33.1`	Major depressive disorder, recurrent, moderate	Recurrent mood disorders frequently prompt family education on warning signs, medication adherence, and relapse prevention.
`F41.1`	Generalized anxiety disorder	Anxiety disorders often require caregiver guidance on behavioral strategies and monitoring.
`F20.9`	Schizophrenia, unspecified	Family interpretation of testing and medication effects is critical for adherence and safety planning in psychotic disorders.
`F03.90`	Unspecified dementia without behavioral disturbance	Dementia evaluations commonly lead to caregiver education about cognitive findings, functional impact, and care strategies.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`90791`	Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation (no medical services)	Often performed before family/caregiver interpretation to establish diagnosis and assessment findings that are then explained to caregivers.
`90834`	Psychotherapy, 45 minutes with patient and/or family member	Provides therapeutic counseling that may occur alongside or instead of an interpretation session when direct patient psychotherapy is indicated.
`90839`	Psychotherapy for crisis, first 60 minutes	Used when the interpretation/education session involves crisis intervention for the patient or family; may be billed when clinically appropriate.
`99307`	Subsequent nursing facility care, days 3–14	In SNF settings a facility-based clinician documents psychiatric consult and then interprets results to family/caregivers; this code documents the clinical follow-up.
`99406`	Smoking and tobacco use cessation counseling, intermediate	Example of a related counseling code that may be billed for specific behavior-change counseling provided to caregivers as part of a broader education plan.

CPT 90863: Pharmacologic Management After Psychotherapy

CPT-90865-NARCOTIC-INDUCED-HYPNOSIS-FOR-PSYCHIATRIC-DIAGNOSIS

CPT 90865: Narcotic-Induced Hypnosis for Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment

CPT-90867-TRANSCRANIAL-MAGNETIC-STIMULATION-INITIAL-TREATMENT

CPT 90867: Initial Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment

CPT-90868-TRANSCRANIAL-MAGNETIC-STIMULATION-SESSION-MANAGEMENT

CPT 90868: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Subsequent Session

CPT-90869-TMS-SUBSEQUENT-MOTOR-THRESHOLD-REDETERMINATION

CPT 90869: TMS Subsequent Motor Threshold Redetermination

CPT-90870-ELECTROCONVULSIVE-THERAPY-PROCEDURAL-SEIZURE

CPT 90870: Electroconvulsive Therapy to Induce Seizure

CPT-90875-PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL-THERAPY-BIOFEEDBACK-PSYCHOTHERAPY-30MIN

CPT 90875: Psychophysiological Therapy with Biofeedback and Psychotherapy, 30 Minutes

CPT-90876-PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL-THERAPY-BIOFEEDBACK-PSYCHOTHERAPY-45MIN

CPT 90876: Psychophysiological Therapy with Biofeedback, 45 Minutes

CPT-90880-HYPNOTHERAPY-PSYCHOTHERAPY

CPT 90880: Hypnotherapy Psychotherapy

CPT-90882-ENVIRONMENTAL-COORDINATION-PSYCHIATRIC-CARE

CPT 90882: Environmental Coordination for Psychiatric Care

Showing 1–10 of 13

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

OpenPayer

CPT 90887: Family/Caregiver Education and Explanation of Psychiatric Results

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Billing Code Overview

OpenPayer

CPT 90887: Family/Caregiver Education and Explanation of Psychiatric Results

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Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References