Quick answer

Choose a psychiatry scribe that: (1) supports 90833 with explicit psychotherapy minutes/modality + justification, (2) recommends E/M from MDM (not just time), (3) carries diagnosis + treatment-plan continuity forward, and (4) auto-fills your EHR fields (edit-before-save).

Psychiatry must-haves (checklist)

1. 90833 psychotherapy add-on — minutes, modality, and a specific clinical justification embedded in the note; flags if documentation is insufficient.

2. Smart Billing (MDM) — E/M suggestion with transparent rationale (problems, data, risk) for auditability.

3. Medication workflow — med list with dose/route/frequency, changes, side effects, adherence, labs/monitoring (e.g., AIMS).

4. Continuity & reasoning — prior diagnoses, goals, and response to meds/therapy pulled into today’s Assessment/Plan.

5. Psych note coverage — psychiatric intake, follow-up, treatment plan, after-visit summary; psychotherapy modalities supported.

6. Audit-readiness — medical necessity aligned to diagnoses; section-level traceability.

7. EHR workflow — browser extension that maps fields and auto-fills psychiatric notes; no PHI in URLs; edit-before-save.
   
   

15-minute evaluation script (copy/paste)

1. Capture a 7–10 min psychiatric follow-up.

2. Open draft → verify: diagnosis linkage, medication changes/side-effects/monitoring, psychotherapy minutes + modality.

3. Confirm 90833 justification is specific to session content.

4. Review MDM explanation behind the E/M suggestion.

5. Use the EHR autofill to map and fill required fields; confirm no PHI in URLs/console.

6. Export a PDF and confirm sections support audit (medical necessity present).
   
   

Example structure — Psychiatric Follow-Up (with 90833)

• Reason / Interval History (symptoms, function, sleep/appetite, stressors)

• Medications (changes, adherence, side effects; labs/monitoring)

• Psychotherapy Provided (minutes, modality, focus)

• Mental Status Exam

• Assessment (dx, response to treatment, risk screening)

• Plan (med adjustments, labs/monitoring, therapy plan, safety plan, follow-up)

• 90833 Justification (tie psychotherapy content to dx/impairment)
  
  

FAQ

Do I need time-based coding for 90833?
90833 requires psychotherapy minutes and justification alongside your E/M service. The E/M itself can be MDM-based.

What if psychotherapy content is thin?
The scribe should withhold 90833 or flag missing elements until documentation is sufficient.

Can I standardize psych templates across my group?
Choose a tool that enforces required psychotherapy fields, MDM rationale, and medication monitoring statements.

Next steps

• Run the 15-minute evaluation above with your shortlist.

• Add an intake and a med-change scenario to test continuity and MDM logic.

• Verify the EHR autofill works in your environment.