The billing process is difficult for therapy in NYC, compared to nearly all other parts of the country. One practice can entertain New York State Medicaid and its managed care program, a dominant local Blue plan, Medicare and a long list of commercial carriers with their different guidelines on timed psychotherapy codes. Once you know what sets the various mental health billing firms apart, you can select the best one and avoid the hassle of one of the numerous firms claiming to represent the State of New York.
We have looked at seven options that are compatible with NYC individual practitioners, group practices, psychiatrists and community clinics. The price is quoted if the company states it in their price list; otherwise, it is marked “quote only”. The ranking is based on fits for New York payers, credentialing support, specialty depth, and pricing transparency.
Why is New York billing different?
New York billers should be aware of the difference between CPT 90834 and 90837, but they should know a lot more. The state has a Medicaid Managed Care billing and coding manual, last updated in October 2025, which includes behavioral health. APG rates and HARP eligibility checks are added on top of the licensed APG rates for clinics. The reason is that your first consideration should be New York Medicaid billing experience; and the billers based in or centered in New York deserve close consideration when you are considering mental health billing companies.
Quick comparison
| Company | Location | Best for | Pricing | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SwiftCare Billing | Marlton, NJ; remote, all 50 states | Best overall for solo and small group practices | From 3% of collections, published | 50+ specialties including mental health |
Millin Medical | Lynbrook, NY | Article 31 clinics and agencies | Quote only | New York behavioral health since 1982 |
BellMedEx | New York team serving all five boroughs | Medicaid- and HARP-heavy practices | Quote only | NY Medicaid, APG, HARP |
Psychiatric Billing Associates | Mount Sinai, NY | Psychiatry and prescriber practices | Quote only | Mental health since 1994 |
| TheraThink | Seattle, WA | Solo therapists who want a specialist | % of allowed amount plus $35/month per tax ID and NPI | Mental health only, since 2014 |
ASP-RCM Solutions | Remote, all 50 states | Practices wanting a free audit first | Quote only | Behavioral health, mental health, SUD |
Sawgrass Behavioral Resources | Fort Lauderdale, FL | New practices that need credentialing help | 6% of monthly collections, onboarding from $99 | Mental health only |
1. SwiftCare Billing
SwiftCare Billing ranks first because it publishes what most mental health billing companies keep behind a sales call. Rates start at 3% of collections, so a practice collecting $500,000 a year pays about $15,000 for full-service billing. You can check that against your own numbers before you ever book a call.
SwiftCare is headquartered in Marlton, NJ and operates virtually with practices across all 50 states, including NYC. The mental health billing services it provides include coding, credentialing, prior authorization, patient billing, telehealth billing and accounts receivable follow-up. With a 98.4% clean claim rate, it has a 99% credentialing success rate and states that the typical practice completes the credentialing process in 7-14 business days. It’s offered as a service – a critical component in a city where panel access can be the slowest part of establishing a practice.
Since there are over 50 specialties for SwiftCare, it is well suited for mixed groups of therapists who bill 90834 and 90837 along with prescribers who bill E/M and add-on codes (90833, 90836, 90838). This is a good match for groups requiring psychiatric billing and therapy billing services in a single place. The downside to SwiftCare is that it’s a multi-specialty company, not one that’s just in New York.
2. Millin Medical
Millin is a business of the Lynbrook, NY area. It has been working for decades in behavioral health billing and has been helping behavioral health providers with revenue cycle solutions since 1982. It has a platform called MillinPro, which is designed to fit the rules of the state, such as those in Article 31 of New York state. It is also connected with eMedNY, the Medicaid system in New York, which enables claims and remittances to occur without leaving the system. According to a conference sponsor listing, almost 400 provider organizations in New York are already using it in conjunction with their EHR.
Millin is the most well-rounded expert on this list for Article 31 billing and New York Medicaid billing at agency scale. The catch is fit. It’s designed for agencies and clinics, it’s quote only, and a solo therapist with a few commercial payers will probably be over-fulfilled.
3. BellMedEx
BellMedEx provides specific services for solo therapists, behavioral health groups and counseling practices across all five boroughs of New York. The company’s mental health billing services are said to be based around Article 31, APG, HARP and New York payer rules and it is said it performs HARP and BH HCBS eligibility checks before services are rendered. It also files applications with New York health plans and monitors the processing time of each health plan.
4. Psychiatric Billing Associates
Since 1994, Psychiatric Billing Associates (PBA) has been providing services to therapists and clinics. It operates out of Mount Sinai, NY and practices nationwide. That makes it the oldest company on this list. PBA collaborates with psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists and has flexibility with software. Can bill directly off of a system such as TherapyNotes or TheraNest, which often would not require any migration.
5. TheraThink
Since March 2014, TheraThink has only been engaged with licensed mental health professionals. It claims Medicare, Medicaid, TriCare, EAP plan and out-of-network claims. Pricing is a percentage of allowed on paid claims, plus $35 per month on every unique Tax ID and rendering NPI. No start-up fee. Credentialing is $130 per commercial payer, $270 per Medicare or Medicaid, and a 30-day trial of the credentials is free.
It’s a dial-up service, so it is beneficial to NYC solo therapists, but its website does not reference Medicaid rules in New York. It also doesn’t accept collections, meaning that if clients cease paying, they will not continue to pay through you. Of the therapy billing services featured in this list, it is the most specific.
6. ASP-RCM Solutions
ASP-RCM has expenses and mental health billing and RCM solutions for providers in all 50 states, including New York, and a complimentary 30-day RCM audit for providers in New York. Its New York page highlights state Medicaid, the dominant local Blue plan, the regional commercial mix and Tricare East as appropriate. No need to publish pricing or credentialing details – raise both during the initial call. The free audit lets them test their behavioral health billing with little risk and before they commit.
7. Sawgrass Behavioral Resources
Sawgrass is one of the mental health practices that does not charge clients for services except in Fort Lauderdale. It costs 6% of collections, and has a minimum requirement as well as an onboarding fee of $99 per month. But of all mental health billing companies on this list, Sawgrass is the most credentialing-oriented, ensuring that they contract with state, federal and commercial plan providers, as well as enrolling customers in EFT, ERA and portal systems. Its 6% sits above SwiftCare’s published starting rate of 3%, so the question is how much credentialing work you need in year one.
How to choose in NYC
Not all mental health billing companies price or perform the same way. Use these checks:
Ask about New York Medicaid billing directly. Ask how they handle Medicaid managed care claims and whether they work from the state’s current billing manual. A vendor that answers in generalities probably does not do much of it.
Test them on session-length codes. 90832 covers 16 to 37 minutes, 90834 covers 38 to 52, and 90837 covers 53 or more. Ask what they do if a payer reviews your 90837 volume. The right answer is that your documentation should support the time billed, not that they would downcode you.
Treat credentialing as the long pole. You can have perfect notes and still collect nothing from a payer you are not contracted with. Ask for median time to effective date by payer.
Price the model, not the percentage. A percentage of collections, a percentage of the allowed amount, and a flat monthly fee are different products. Run each against one real month of your remittances. For anything on the Medicaid side, also confirm they can handle New York Medicaid billing end to end.
FAQs
Published rates here run from 3% of collections at SwiftCare to 6% of monthly collections at Sawgrass. TheraThink charges a percentage of the allowed amount plus $35 per month per tax ID and NPI. Several firms quote only. Always ask what the fee is charged against, not just the number.
SwiftCare Billing and BellMedEx are the two most explicitly built around Article 31, APG, and HARP rules. ASP-RCM also publishes a New York page covering state Medicaid.
Not necessarily. The majority of billing is done offsite. Knowledge, credentialing and pricing that is verifiable is what matters in New York.
Some do, some don’t. It comes built in with SwiftCare Billing and is priced at a per-payer cost with TheraThink, and included as part of onboarding with Sawgrass. Double-check prior to signing.
Depends on quantity. A therapist with two commercial payers that have clean eligibility may be able to run inside of an EHR system. When the math changes when you add Medicaid or Medicare, high-deductible clients, or aging A/R.
Final word
The best mental health billing companies for NYC are the ones that publish their pricing, show their credentialing numbers, and can explain New York’s payer rules without hedging. If you want a published rate, credentialing included, and one vendor for mixed therapy and prescriber billing, SwiftCare Billing is the place to start.
