Intensive behavioral counseling for cardiovascular disease, HCPCS code G0446

Medicare pays a primary care physician or other primary care practitioner in a primary care setting to annually provide one face-to-face behavioral counseling session.

The code is defined as 15 minutes. In order to bill these, the record must show that the service took over half of the threshold time, or 7 ½ minutes. All Medicare patients are eligible for the service.  The Medicare national payment amount is about $26.

G0446  Annual, face-to-face intensive behavioral therapy for cardiovascular disease, individual, 15 minutes.

The service has three components:

1. The first is to encourage aspirin use for primary prevention a cardiovascular disease when the benefits outweigh the risks for men age 45-79 and women 55-79. (When the patient is in that age range.)
2. The second is to screen for high blood pressure and all adults aged 18 and older.
3. And the third is intensive behavioral counseling to promote a healthy diet for adults who already have hyperlipidemia, hypertension, advancing age, and other known risk factors for cardiovascular and diet related chronic diseases.

Login to read the rest of this article

Don’t have a login? Become a member, or learn more about the benefits of membership by clicking on the link below.