POS 71

Place of Service Code 71: Public Health Clinic

POS Code

Telehealth

What is Place of Service Code 71?

POS 71 is used for services rendered in a public health clinic — a facility maintained by a state, county, or municipal health department providing preventive and primary care services to the general public. In behavioral health, this applies when county mental health services are delivered at public health department clinics.

When to Use POS 71

Use POS 71 when providing mental health or behavioral health services at a government-operated public health clinic. This is common in county behavioral health programs, federally funded safety-net settings, and public school-based health centers that are not separately classified as FQHCs.

CPT Codes Commonly Paired with POS 71

These CPT codes are frequently billed with Place of Service 71 in therapy practice:

CPT 90837 - Psychotherapy, 60 minutes CPT 90832 - Psychotherapy, 30 minutes CPT 90791 - Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation CPT 90853 - Group psychotherapy CPT 90847 - Family psychotherapy with patient present

Billing Notes for POS 71

Important: Public health clinics often operate under Medicaid fee-for-service or block grant funding models. Confirm whether your Medicaid plan requires POS 71 or uses another designation for county-run clinics. Some FQHCs that also operate public health functions still bill under a different POS — verify with the fiscal intermediary.

Common Mistakes with POS 71

✗Using POS 50 (FQHC) for a county health department that is not federally qualified
✗Billing POS 11 (office) for sessions occurring at a government public health clinic
✗Not confirming whether the clinic's Medicaid contract uses encounter-based or fee-for-service rates
✗Confusing public health clinics (POS 71) with community mental health centers (POS 53)

Adding POS 71 to a Superbill

Superbilled lets you specify the Place of Service code on every superbill you generate. When creating a superbill with POS 71, ensure your NPI, the patient's diagnosis code, date of service, fee charged, and amount paid are all included. The correct POS code helps insurers process your claim accurately and avoid unnecessary denials.

Generate a superbill with POS 71 free