The Ins and Outs of Revenue Code 361: Psychiatric Hospital Services in 2025

Revenue code 361 remains key for psychiatric hospital billing in 2025. The National Uniform Billing Committee designated this four-digit code specifically for psychiatric services in hospital settings. It shows up on the UB-04 form. Important stuff.

Documentation Basics

When using code 361, you need solid documentation. Medical necessity is crucial. Providers enter the code in Form Locator 42 on the UB-04. Charges go there too. So do HCPCS codes.

The 2025 CPT/HCPCS updates seem to have shaken things up a bit. Documentation requirements got more detailed. Not entirely clear why they needed changing, but Medicare and Medicaid have new coverage parameters now. Kind of surprising how much these things shift year to year.

Why Claims Get Denied

Claims with code 361 get rejected a lot. Wrong settings. You can't use inpatient codes for outpatient stuff. Simple mistake. Big consequences.

CCI and OCE edits catch these mismatches. They're watching.

The 2025 rules make a big deal about knowing your settings. Inpatient? Code 361 works. Outpatient mental health? Different codes. Know the difference.

Money Matters

The 2025 physician fee schedule changed things. Again. Reimbursements shifted for psychiatric services. Providers need to stay sharp on this.

UB-04 remains the standard form. Multiple payers. One format. It works. Psychiatric hospital services need this specificity under code 361. The system isn't perfect, but it functions.