For psychological test administration and scoring by a technician for 30 minutes, which code is used?

The appropriate code for psychological test administration and scoring by a technician for a duration of 30 minutes is 96138. This code is specifically designed to capture the time spent by a qualified technician in the direct administration of psychological testing, along with the scoring process. In this instance, the time frame of 30 minutes aligns perfectly with the intent of the code, which is set up to reflect both the administration and the associated scoring activities.

Each of the other codes has a different focus or time frame. For example, codes such as 96136 and 96137 pertain to different aspects or additional time blocks of psychological testing. Thus, they do not apply to the scenario described in the question. Code 96139 is typically related to further interpretation or comprehensive testing over a different time frame or scenario. Consequently, 96138 is the most suitable choice for capturing the specific action of a technician conducting and scoring tests within the indicated time.