Military Health System

3.1  Collateral visits that are medically or psychologically necessary for the treatment of the patient are covered. It is not a therapy session, a treatment planning session, or a discussion with the milieu staff. It is conducted for the purpose of information gathering and implementing treatment goals. A responsible person is generally a parent, the husband, wife, or siblings. Other individuals also may qualify for collateral visits for both the adult and the child or adolescent patient provided it can be demonstrated that the individual is, in fact, a significant person in the life of the identified patient.

3.2  A collateral visit does not involve treatment of the collateral person(s). It is for purposes of information exchange regarding the patient or implementing treatment goals for the patient. Collateral visits are considered as services rendered on behalf of the patient, are billed in the name of the patient, and are counted as individual psychotherapy sessions for purposes of utilization review. Duration up to 60 minutes is allowed.

4.1  Group visits. A group collateral visit is when the therapist meets with a group of parents of the children he/she sees in group therapy. The focus of the sessions is on improving parenting techniques and fostering better implementation goals.

4.2  A collateral visit rendered on the same day that the patient receives individual or group psychotherapy is coverable. Collateral visits do not count toward crisis intervention sessions.