G0396 Alcohol/subs interv 15-30mn

What G0396 is

Alcohol and/or substance (other than tobacco) misuse structured assessment (e.g., audit, dast), and brief intervention 15 to 30 minutes

HCPCS Level II long description, CMS October 2026 file. See the G codes page for the full section.

Medicare payment for G0396 (CY2026)

National rates: total RVUs x the CY2026 conversion factor of 33.4009 (non-QP), before geographic adjustment. Actual Medicare payment is 80% of the rate shown after the deductible; the patient or secondary payer owes the 20% coinsurance.

Status: Active - payable under the Physician Fee Schedule. Global period: Global concept does not apply.

Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)

Medicare caps G0396 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 2 - date of service edit (absolute): units above the MUE never pay), rationale: Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.

Billed with G0396? These codes are bundled into it

G0396 is a Column 1 code in 14 active NCCI PTP edits. When one of these Column 2 codes is reported on the same date of service, it is denied as bundled - unless the edit's modifier indicator is 1 and documentation supports a distinct service with an NCCI-associated modifier.

G0396 is bundled into these codes

G0396 appears as a Column 2 code in 101 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, G0396 is the code that denies.

Data: CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule RVU file (October release, RVU26D) and Medicare NCCI PTP practitioner edits v32.3 (2026 Q4). Verify against the official files before billing or contracting decisions.