G8961 HCPCS Level II code: Cardiac stress imaging test primarily performed on low-risk surgery patient for preoperative evaluation within 30 days preceding this surgery
G8961 is the HCPCS code for “Cardiac stress imaging test primarily performed on low-risk surgery patient for preoperative evaluation within 30 days preceding this surgery” in CMS’s October 2026 release, in effect from Oct 1, 2026.
Official description
G8961Cardiac stress imaging test primarily performed on low-risk surgery patient for preoperative evaluation within 30 days preceding this surgery
Short description: Csit lowrisk surg pts preop
HCPCS · United States
Medicare details
The indicators CMS publishes with G8961 in its October 2026 file. They describe Medicare’s handling, not another payer’s.
- Medicare coverage
- Carrier judgment
- Medicare pricing
- Service not separately priced by Part B (e.g., services not covered, bundled, used by Part A only, etc.)
- Type of service
- Medical care
- BETOS category
- Specialist - psychiatry
- Added
- Jan 1, 2013
Where G8961 sits
- 1G codesProcedures and professional services
- 2Active code G8961Cardiac stress imaging test primarily performed on low-risk surgery patient for preoperative evaluation within 30 days preceding this surgery
Source and release
- Data release
- HCPCS Level II · October 2026
- Effective date
- Oct 1, 2026
- Publisher
- CMS
This page is built from the HCPCS Level II catalog that Vero Codes reads when it suggests codes: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’s October 2026 release, imported from the publisher’s file and checked against it. The description, notes and structured data come from the same record.
Frequently asked questions
What does HCPCS code G8961 mean?
G8961 is the HCPCS code for “Cardiac stress imaging test primarily performed on low-risk surgery patient for preoperative evaluation within 30 days preceding this surgery” in CMS’s HCPCS Level II October 2026 release.
Does Medicare cover G8961?
CMS lists G8961’s Medicare coverage as “Carrier judgment” and its pricing as “Service not separately priced by Part B (e.g., services not covered, bundled, used by Part A only, etc.)”. Coverage and payment still depend on the patient, the setting, the documentation and the payer.
Which HCPCS Level II release does this page use?
It uses CMS’s October 2026 release, in effect from Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026. It is a reference: confirm the code against the current list and the payer’s rules before you submit it.
Codes beside G8961
All G codesG8955Most recent assessment of adequacy of volume management documentedG8956Patient receiving maintenance hemodialysis in an outpatient dialysis facilityG8957Patient not receiving maintenance hemodialysis in an outpatient dialysis facilityG8958Assessment of adequacy of volume management not documented, reason not givenG8959Clinician treating major depressive disorder communicates to clinician treating comorbid conditionG8960Clinician treating major depressive disorder did not communicate to clinician treating comorbid condition, reason not givenG8962Cardiac stress imaging test performed on patient for any reason including those who did not have low risk surgery or test that was performed more than 30 days preceding low risk…G8963Cardiac stress imaging performed primarily for monitoring of asymptomatic patient who had pci within 2 yearsG8964Cardiac stress imaging test performed primarily for any other reason than monitoring of asymptomatic patient who had pci within 2 years (e.g., symptomatic patient, patient…G8965Cardiac stress imaging test primarily performed on low chd risk patient for initial detection and risk assessmentG8966Cardiac stress imaging test performed on symptomatic or higher than low chd risk patient or for any reason other than initial detection and risk assessmentG8967Fda approved oral anticoagulant is prescribed