Psychiatry & psychotherapy

90834 - RVUs & Medicare payment (2026)

Psychotherapy, 45 minutes.

Component	Non-facility	Facility
Work RVU	2.56	2.56
Practice expense RVU	0.83	0.17
Malpractice RVU	0.02	0.02
Total RVUs	3.41	2.75
National payment (CF $33.4009)	$113.90	$91.85
Qualifying APM payment (CF $33.5675)	$114.47	$92.31

How 90834 payment varies by locality

Medicare adjusts payment with geographic practice cost indices, so the same code pays differently across the 109 fee schedule localities. In 2026, non-facility payment for 90834 ranges from $109.66 in Arkansas (AR) to $158.15 in Alaska (AK); calculate 90834 for your locality.

Alaska (AK) $158.15 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) $135.25 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) $135.15 San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (CA) $133.03 San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (CA) $133.00 Napa (CA) $127.77 Vallejo (CA) $127.74 NYC Suburbs/Long Island (NY) $125.18 National average $113.90 … 97 more localities between … Alabama (AL) $110.14 Rest Of Missouri (MO) $110.05 Mississippi (MS) $109.87 Arkansas (AR) $109.66

Non-facility payment for 90834 in the 2026 fee schedule ($33.4009 conversion factor), before sequestration. Gray bar = national average.

Global period: XXX

No global period: the global surgery concept does not apply to this code.

Related codes - psychiatry & psychotherapy

90791 · psychiatric diagnostic evaluation, no medical services
90792 · psychiatric diagnostic evaluation with medical services
90832 · psychotherapy, 30 minutes
90833 · psychotherapy 30 minutes, add-on to an e/m visit
90836 · psychotherapy 45 minutes, add-on to an e/m visit
90837 · psychotherapy, 60 minutes
90838 · psychotherapy 60 minutes, add-on to an e/m visit
90839 · psychotherapy for crisis, first 60 minutes
90846 · family psychotherapy without the patient present, 50 minutes
90847 · family psychotherapy with the patient present, 50 minutes
90853 · group psychotherapy
96130 · psychological test evaluation, first hour
96131 · psychological test evaluation, each additional hour
96136 · psychological/neuropsychological test administration, first 30 minutes
96156 · health behavior assessment or re-assessment
96158 · health behavior intervention, individual, first 30 minutes

Frequently asked questions

How much does Medicare pay for 90834 in 2026?

The national non-facility payment is $113.90 and the facility payment is $91.85, using the standard $33.4009 conversion factor. Actual amounts vary by Medicare locality; use the RVU calculator for your area.

What is the work RVU for 90834?

The 2026 work RVU for 90834 is 2.56. Total RVUs are 3.41 in the non-facility setting and 2.75 in the facility setting.

Why are the facility and non-facility amounts different?

Only the practice expense component changes by setting. In an office (non-facility) the practice bears the overhead, so the PE RVU is higher; in a hospital or ASC the facility bills its own overhead separately.

Source: CMS Physician Fee Schedule relative value file (rvu26c.zip, retrieved 2026-07-11). Service description is an original plain-English summary, not CPT descriptor text. CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Amounts are estimates before sequestration and claim-level adjustments.