Select Health Restricted Extended Psychotherapy Billing

Utah patients may face higher costs for extended sessions due to a billing policy change.

Updated on Oct. 10, 2026 in Mental Health

Isometric editorial illustration of a brass hourglass on a wooden plinth, symbolizing time management and billing restrictions in healthcare. — Select Health's new policy, which limits psychotherapy session billing to 60 minutes, is causing Utah patients to face increased costs and treatment disruptions. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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In January 2026, Select Health implemented a policy prohibiting the billing of psychotherapy sessions lasting longer than 60 minutes. This change affects Utah patients who require extended mental health sessions, often necessitating multiple appointments or additional co-pays.

Why it matters

The shift in billing practice impacts access to long-duration therapy by requiring providers to split sessions, which may disrupt patient care and increase out-of-pocket costs. The insurer maintains the change supports consistent billing practices in alignment with documentation requirements.

The policy change restricts reimbursement to one unit of service per patient session, replacing a previous workaround that allowed two units for services beyond the standard 60-minute duration. This follows the 2023 decision by the American Medical Association to remove specific modifier codes for extended psychotherapy.

The players

Select Health

An insurance provider that manages health benefits and establishes reimbursement policies for clinical services.

American Medical Association

A professional organization that maintains and updates the coding systems used by healthcare providers to bill for medical services.

The details

Providers previously billed for services lasting 90 to 120 minutes by using two units of service codes to account for the additional time. Select Health now limits billing to a single unit, citing the need for adherence to standardized time-based procedure documentation. To accommodate the policy, therapists report they must either shorten sessions or split appointments, which forces clients to incur extra co-pays for the same total treatment time.

In 2023, the American Medical Association removed modifier codes for extended psychotherapy sessions.
Select Health notified providers of the billing policy change in January 2026.
FOX 13 reported on the resulting billing practices in September 2026.
This summary reflects developments as of October 9, 2026.

Health Landscape

This policy shift mirrors the national trend of insurers aligning their billing standards with the American Medical Association's 2023 CPT code revisions. It highlights the friction between standardized billing procedures and the clinical necessity of longer-duration mental health support.

If you require therapy sessions longer than 60 minutes, confirm your provider's current billing procedures to avoid unexpected co-pay charges. It is worth discussing with your doctor how this policy impacts your specific treatment plan and whether alternative session scheduling is available.

The takeaway

Insurance policies regarding session duration can significantly affect the cost and continuity of your mental health care. Always check with your insurer or provider about billing changes if your treatment sessions typically exceed standard 60-minute windows.