PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Psychotherapy can be readily integrated into brief “med-check” psychiatry visits

Journal of Psychiatric Practice® publishes real-world tips for insurance-based practices

2025-09-16
(Press-News.org) September 16, 2025 — Abbreviated, 15- to 30-minute medication visits have become common in psychiatry now that many insurers model their reimbursement patterns on internal medicine and surgery. To support practicing psychiatrists, a series of four columns in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice®, part of the Lippincott portfolio from Wolters Kluwer, describe how to feasibly combine brief psychotherapy with longitudinal pharmacotherapy. The final installment appears in the September issue.

The authors are psychiatrists Samuel Dotson, MD, of Northeast Georgia Health System in Gainesville, GA and Emory University in Atlanta; John C. Markowitz, MD, of New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University in New York, NY; David Mintz, MD, of Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, MA; and Michael E. Thase, MD, of Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

The rationales for short-form combination therapy

“Since 2013, the American Medical Association has provided a Current Procedural Terminology therapy add-on code 90833 for billing encounters lasting between 16 and 37 minutes,” Eric M. Platkun, MD, the journal’s Psychotherapy Section Editor, notes in an introduction to the series. “Use of this code can often double the number of Relative Value Units for a visit, providing a strong financial incentive for its adoption.”

Abbreviated therapy can also expand access for patients who lack the resources or time for traditional psychotherapy, Dr. Dotson and his colleagues point out. Furthermore, incorporating psychotherapy into medication visits can improve the job satisfaction of psychiatrists who may otherwise feel reduced to the role of “just the prescriber.”

Practical approaches to success

The authors devote a full article to each of three psychotherapies: supportive, psychodynamic, and cognitive-behavioral. Using case studies, they discuss techniques for building elements of these therapies into brief medication visits. Many tips apply to all three psychotherapies:

Have a framing discussion with the patient and document it in the treatment plan. The discussion should cover “the expected length of treatment, session duration, session frequency, expected fees, limitations of confidentiality, the plan for combined medication evaluations and psychotherapy services, and the specific modality and therapeutic tasks selected to achieve the patient’s treatment goals.” Discuss fees and their purpose during the initial consultation. For use of the 90833 code to be justifiable, patients must realize they’re engaging in psychotherapy. Maintain the same frequency and duration of visits. The 90833 code allows flexibility in session length (16 to 37 minutes), but consistency is important for the therapeutic process. Avoid taking a new approach at subsequent sessions, which can happen because of the wide spacing between medication visits. Reference prior discussions and maintain thematic continuity. If a psychotherapeutic approach isn’t working, agree with the patient on a shift from one evidence-based technique to another. Document the encounter carefully, designating a section of the combined note to the psychotherapy content and treatment plan. Describe the specific therapy and techniques employed and succinctly justify how they address the patient’s treatment goals. Work within unreasonable insurance demands. The 90833 code encourages psychotherapy time to be exclusive from time spent on medication evaluation and management services, which contradicts optimal clinical work. Offer a good faith estimate of the time spent on psychotherapy: a total visit length of 30 minutes is likely to be the minimum reasonable length for combined visits, unless 20-minute visits are paired with blocked administrative time later in the day. In some systems, AI scribes can track psychotherapy versus pharmacotherapy time as the physician toggles between the two modes on their computer. The authors note that prescribers offering psychodynamic therapy should take care to avoid creating a competing psychotherapy if the patient is consulting a separate psychotherapist. “It is then prudent to restrict psychodynamic activity to supporting the patient’s healthy use of pharmacotherapy.”

Read Article: The 16-minute Hour: Combining Abbreviated Psychotherapy With Medication Visits. Part 4: Cognitive-behavioral Therapy

Wolters Kluwer provides trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students in effective decision-making and outcomes across healthcare. We support clinical effectiveness, learning and research, clinical surveillance and compliance, as well as data solutions. For more information about our solutions, visit https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/health.

###

About Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer (EURONEXT: WKL) is a global leader in information, software solutions and services for professionals in healthcare; tax and accounting; financial and corporate compliance; legal and regulatory; corporate performance and ESG. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with technology and services.

Wolters Kluwer reported 2024 annual revenues of €5.9 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 21,400 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands.

For more information, visit www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

‘Wiggling’ atoms may lead to smaller, more efficient electronics

2025-09-16
MSU has a satellite uplink/LTN TV studio and Comrex line for radio interviews upon request. Why this matters:   Wiggling atoms in new quantum materials could lead to more efficient electronics that are smaller and faster. These new materials have surprising properties and could be key elements for next-generation quantum computers. EAST LANSING, Mich. – Researchers at Michigan State University have figured out how to use a fast laser to wiggle atoms in a way that temporarily changes the behavior of their host material. Their novel ...

Alliance webinar highlights latest advances in cancer treatment

2025-09-16
The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology will host a public webinar on Monday, September 29, at 12 pm CT showcasing the key findings of Alliance research presented at the 2025 American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The clinical trial results discussed at the virtual meeting will include some of the latest information for people living with colorectal, squamous cell, and renal cell cancers.   “We are pleased to showcase the ground-breaking research that Alliance researchers presented at ASCO,” said Evanthia Galanis, MD, Group ...

Climate change could drastically reduce aquifer recharge in Brazil

2025-09-16
The global climate crisis could significantly impact the natural replenishment of Brazilian aquifers, reducing the groundwater supply across the country. This is the conclusion of a study by scientists from the University of São Paulo’s Institute of Geosciences (IGc-USP) and the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). The scientists analyzed the impact of various climate scenarios on water availability by the end of the century. The study was published in the journal Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. Groundwater ...

$1.7M DOD grant funds virtual cancer center to support research into military health

2025-09-16
A University of Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher received a $1.7 million grant from the Department of Defense to continue the Convergent Science Virtual Cancer Center, which broadens the scope of education for cancer research trainees through an emergent, cross-disciplinary approach known as convergent science.   The Convergent Science Virtual Cancer Center – a partnership between the U of A Cancer Center and the Convergent Science Institute in Cancer at the University of Southern California – strengthens scholars’ expertise in ...

Brain organoids could unlock energy-efficient AI

2025-09-16
Our brains are masters of efficiency. “Biology is very energy optimized,” says Yevgeny Berdichevsky, an associate professor of bioengineering and electrical and computer engineering at Lehigh University. “The amount of energy the brain uses at any given time is roughly equal to a light bulb in terms of wattage. Replicating those computations in hardware would demand orders of magnitude more power.”  Berdichevsky and his collaborators in Lehigh’s P.C. Rossin College of ...

AI-powered CRISPR could lead to faster gene therapies, Stanford Medicine study finds

2025-09-16
Stanford Medicine researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool to help scientists better plan gene-editing experiments. The technology, CRISPR-GPT, acts as a gene-editing “copilot” supported by AI to help researchers — even those unfamiliar with gene editing — generate designs, analyze data and troubleshoot design flaws. The model builds on a tool called CRISPR, a powerful gene-editing technology used to edit genomes and develop therapies for genetic diseases. But training on the tool to design an experiment is complicated and time-consuming — even for seasoned scientists. CRISPR-GPT speeds that process along, automating ...

Shared genetic mechanisms underpin social life in bees and humans

2025-09-16
Several genetic variants associated with social behavior in honey bees are located within genes that have previously been linked to social behavior in humans, Ian Traniello at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, and colleagues report on September 16th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology. The results hint at ancient roots to social behavior that have been conserved across species. In social species, there is individual variation in sociability — some individuals are highly social and well-connected within their ...

Prescribed opioid pain medications during pregnancy likely aren’t associated with increased risk of autism, ADHD

2025-09-16
Previous studies have suggested that children exposed to opioid pain medications while in the womb have higher rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but a new study finds that any increased risk could be explained by other factors. Emma N. Cleary of Indiana University Bloomington, USA, and colleagues published these findings on September 16th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine. Opioids are commonly prescribed to help manage pain during pregnancy, but it is unclear whether opioid exposure in utero increases a child’s risk of neurodevelopmental disorders ...

Sustainable, plant-based diet benefits both human and planetary health

2025-09-16
A diet focused on healthy plant-based foods may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study by Solomon Sowah and colleagues from the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, published September 16th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine. Growing research shows that unhealthy foods not only impact your health but are also detrimental to the environment. Diets such as the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) recommend high amounts of healthy plant-based foods and limited animal-derived foods and sugary drinks ...

IU researchers find that opioid pain meds prescribed during pregnancy do not cause increased risk of autism or ADHD

2025-09-16
An Indiana University study brings a comprehensive new perspective to a growing body of evidence suggesting that mild to moderate use of prescribed opioid pain medications during pregnancy does not cause an increased risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. The study explores documented associations between prescribed opioid pain medications during pregnancy and the increased risk for the two neurodevelopmental disorders. It concludes that other factors, rather than fetal exposure to opioid ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Bipolar disorder heterogeneity decoded: transforming global psychiatric treatment approaches

Catching Alport syndrome through universal age-3 urine screening

Instructions help you remember something better than emotions or a good night’s sleep

Solar energy is now the world’s cheapest source of power, a Surrey study finds

Scientists reverse Alzheimer’s in mice using nanoparticles

‘Good’ gut bacteria boosts placenta for healthier pregnancy

USC team demonstrates first optical device based on “optical thermodynamics”

Microplastics found to change gut microbiome in first human-sample study

Artificially sweetened and sugary drinks are both associated with an increased risk of liver disease, study finds

Plastic in the soil, but not as we know it: Biodegradable microplastics rewire carbon storage in farm fields

Yeast proteins reveal the secrets of drought resistance

Psychiatry, primary care, and OB/GYN subspecialties hit hardest by physician attrition

New Canadian study reveals where HIV hides in different parts of the body

Lidocaine poisonings rise despite overall drop in local anesthetic toxicity

Politics follow you on the road

Scientists blaze new path to fighting viral diseases

The mouse eye as a window to spotting systemic disease

AI and the Future of Cancer Research and Cancer Care to headline October 24 gathering of global oncology leaders at the National Press Club: NFCR Global Summit to feature top scientists, entrepreneurs

FDA clears UCLA heart tissue regeneration drug AD-NP1 for clinical trials

Exploring the therapeutic potential of cannabidiol for Alzheimer's

We need a solar sail probe to detect space tornadoes earlier, more accurately, U-M researchers say

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Disease risk but not remission status determines transplant outcomes – new ASAP long-term results

Sperm microRNAs: Key regulators of the paternal transmission of exercise capacity

Seeing double: Clever images open doors for brain research

Inhaler-related greenhouse gas emissions in the US

UCLA Health study finds inhalers for asthma and COPD drive significant greenhouse gas emissions

A surgical handover system for patient physiology and safety

Cardiovascular health changes in young adults and risk of later-life cardiovascular disease

Nurse workload and missed nursing care in neonatal intensive care units

How to solve the remote work stalemate – dissertation offers tools for successful hybrid work

[Press-News.org] Psychotherapy can be readily integrated into brief “med-check” psychiatry visits
Journal of Psychiatric Practice® publishes real-world tips for insurance-based practices