Data source CMS Transparency in Coverage MRF
Legal authority 45 CFR § 147.210
Current vintage March 2026
TX providers in UHC cohort 6,569 master's · 1,274 psychologists
Confidence High

What does UHC actually pay Texas therapists?

Benchmark reports built directly from UHC's government-mandated public rate files — not surveys, not self-reported data, not national averages. Actual contracted rates, by credential, with methodology published in full before you buy.

Government-mandated source data n=6,569 master's-level providers FFS rates only — no derived or capitated Full methodology published before purchase
Master's-Level (LCSW, LPC, LMFT)
Psychologist
UHC · CPT 90837 · Texas · March 2026 High
Median rate (P50) $110
25th percentile $???
75th percentile $???
90th percentile $???

The numbers payers already have — now available to you

Under federal law (45 CFR § 147.210), every commercial insurer must publish their in-network contracted rates as machine-readable files. These files contain the exact dollar amounts payers have agreed to pay each contracted provider.

Most providers have never seen these files. The OHBS-5 behavioral health network file is 5.9 MB — we parse it fully, match NPIs to the Texas provider registry, filter to fee-for-service rates only, and compute the distribution. The result is a benchmark built from what the payer actually reports to CMS.

This is observational data — a snapshot of what payers were contracted to pay as of the file date. It doesn't guarantee your rate will match the median. It tells you what the market looks like.

1
We download the payer's MRF file. UHC publishes 85,000+ index files. We identified the OHBS-5 behavioral health professional sub-network as the relevant source for outpatient therapy rates.
2
We match NPIs to Texas mental health providers. Using the NPPES bulk registry from CMS, we filter to individual (Type 1) Texas providers with mental health taxonomy codes. 31,492 found; 6,903 matched to OHBS-5.
3
We compute the distribution. One canonical rate per provider. One credential bucket per provider. Deduplication, suppression thresholds, and confidence scoring applied per published rules.
4
The report is frozen and reproducible. Every published report carries a release ID, snapshot hash, and pipeline version. The same inputs always produce the same output.

Available Reports

High Confidence March 2026

UHC — Master's-Level Therapists
LCSW · LPC/LMHC · LMFT

CPT 90837 · Texas commercial plans · Optum Health Behavioral Services network

Median $110
Providers 6,569
vs Medicare −14%
High Confidence March 2026

UHC — Licensed Psychologists
PhD · PsyD · EdD

CPT 90837 · Texas commercial plans · Optum Health Behavioral Services network

Median $147
Providers 1,274
vs Medicare +15%
Coming Q2 2026

Aetna — Master's-Level Therapists
LCSW · LPC/LMHC · LMFT

CPT 90837 · Texas commercial plans · MRF files identified. Data processing in progress. Expected Q2 2026.

Median
Providers
vs Medicare

Common questions

What exactly is in the report?

A PDF containing: the median, P10, P25, P75, and P90 rates for CPT 90837; a benchmark corridor visualization; comparison to the 2025 Medicare PFS non-facility rate; credential subgroup breakdown (master's-level only); a per-clinician earnings impact table; full methodology notes; data quality badges; and a release ID with snapshot hash for reproducibility. See the methodology page for the complete pipeline spec.

Where does this data come from?

UnitedHealthcare is required by federal law (45 CFR § 147.210, the CMS Transparency in Coverage Rule) to publish machine-readable files listing every in-network contracted rate. We download those files, parse them, match provider NPIs to Texas mental health taxonomy codes from the NPPES registry, and compute the distribution. No surveys. No self-reported data. The source files are public.

How is this different from TheraThink or other free rate tools?

Most free rate tools publish ranges based on surveys or self-reported data. They do not disclose sample sizes, do not publish methodology, and do not distinguish between negotiated rates and derived rates. RateScope benchmarks are computed exclusively from payer-published Machine-Readable Files — the actual contracted rates filed under federal mandate. Every number carries a sample size, a confidence label, and a methodology you can read in full before you buy.

Can I use this to negotiate my rate?

Yes — that's what it's for. The report gives you a citable, reproducible benchmark from the payer's own published files. "The OHBS network median for master's-level Texas therapists on CPT 90837 is $110.30 — 14% below the 2025 Medicare allowable" is a factual claim grounded in public data. This is not legal or contracting advice, but it gives you something concrete to stand behind.

Is this the rate I'll be offered if I join UHC?

No. This is the distribution of what UHC has contracted to pay individual providers in their OHBS (Optum Health Behavioral Services) behavioral health network in Texas as of March 2026. Your specific rate offer depends on your contract, location, and credential. The benchmark tells you what the market looks like — not what your personal offer will be.

How current is the data?

The source file is dated March 1, 2026. UHC publishes updated MRF files monthly. We plan to refresh this report quarterly. Each report carries a data vintage date and release ID so you always know exactly what snapshot you're looking at.

Why is the master's-level median below Medicare?

The 2025 CMS PFS non-facility rate for CPT 90837 is $128.25. The UHC OHBS-5 median for master's-level Texas therapists is $110.30 — 14% below that reference. Commercial payers are not required to pay above Medicare rates. This is an empirical finding from the data, not an error.