99484
General behavioral health integration
At least 20 minutes of clinical staff time per calendar month, directed by a physician or other qualified health professional.
CPT Codes
Behavioral health integration CPT codes: 99484, 99492, 99493 and 99494
General behavioral health integration and the collaborative care model are different services with different staffing requirements, billed on different codes.
99492
Collaborative care, initial month
The first 70 minutes of behavioral health care manager time in the first calendar month.
99493
Collaborative care, subsequent month
The first 60 minutes of behavioral health care manager time in a subsequent calendar month.
99494
Each additional 30 minutes, collaborative care
Reported with 99492 or 99493 for each further 30 minutes in the same calendar month.
Two Services
What separates general integration from collaborative care?
Staffing and structure. General behavioral health integration is clinical staff time inside the primary care relationship. The collaborative care model adds two defined roles: a behavioral health care manager and a psychiatric consultant.
The collaborative care model also requires systematic assessment using validated instruments and tracking of the caseload in a registry, so that patients who are not improving are identified and their treatment adjusted. That registry requirement is what makes it a measurement based service rather than a referral.
The time thresholds differ substantially. General integration begins at 20 minutes of clinical staff time in the month. Collaborative care begins at 70 minutes in the initial month and 60 minutes in subsequent months.
The Consultant
Who can serve as the psychiatric consultant?
The psychiatric consultant in the collaborative care model must be able to prescribe. A psychologist cannot fill that seat.
This is the requirement most often missed when a practice designs a collaborative care program around the behavioral health clinicians it already employs. The consultant role is defined by prescribing authority, and a program built without it does not meet the model.
The consultant does not typically see the patient directly. They review the registry with the behavioral health care manager and advise the treating practitioner, which is what allows one consultant to support a substantial caseload.
Common Questions
Related questions
What is the difference between 99484 and the collaborative care codes?
99484 covers general behavioral health integration, meaning at least 20 minutes of clinical staff time per calendar month inside the primary care relationship. The collaborative care codes 99492, 99493 and 99494 describe a more structured model requiring a behavioral health care manager, a psychiatric consultant, validated assessment and registry tracking.
Can a psychologist be the psychiatric consultant?
No. The psychiatric consultant in the collaborative care model must be able to prescribe. This is a frequent design error in programs built around existing behavioral health staff.
How much time does collaborative care require?
70 minutes of behavioral health care manager time in the initial calendar month, reported with 99492, and 60 minutes in each subsequent month, reported with 99493. 99494 adds each further 30 minutes in the same month.
Does the patient need a formal psychiatric diagnosis?
The service is directed at patients with a behavioral health condition being managed in the primary care setting, identified and tracked using validated instruments. The model is designed to treat to target rather than to refer, so the assessment is part of the service rather than a gate in front of it.
Can behavioral health integration run alongside chronic care management?
The two describe different work and are separately defined services, but time counted toward one cannot be counted toward the other in the same month. Where both are in place, activity level time tracking is necessary rather than optional.
Code descriptors reflect the AMA CPT code set and the CMS HCPCS code set current as of CY2026. Both are revised annually, and Medicare Administrative Contractor and commercial payer policy varies. This page describes what each code covers and the conditions attached to reporting it. It is a reference, not billing advice for a specific claim, and it carries no payment rates.
Related reading
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Praventa operates care management programs with its own clinical team and licenses the same platform to practices running them in-house. Describe your situation and we will tell you which model fits.