G9621 HCPCS Level II code: Patient identified as an unhealthy alcohol user when screened for unhealthy alcohol use using a systematic screening method and received brief counseling
G9621 is the HCPCS code for “Patient identified as an unhealthy alcohol user when screened for unhealthy alcohol use using a systematic screening method and received brief counseling” in CMS’s October 2026 release, in effect from Oct 1, 2026.
Official description
G9621Patient identified as an unhealthy alcohol user when screened for unhealthy alcohol use using a systematic screening method and received brief counseling
Short description: Scr unheal etoh w/counsel
HCPCS · United States
Medicare details
The indicators CMS publishes with G9621 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
- Undefined codes
- Added
- Jan 1, 2016
Where G9621 sits
- 1G codesProcedures and professional services
- 2Active code G9621Patient identified as an unhealthy alcohol user when screened for unhealthy alcohol use using a systematic screening method and received brief counseling
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 G9621 mean?
G9621 is the HCPCS code for “Patient identified as an unhealthy alcohol user when screened for unhealthy alcohol use using a systematic screening method and received brief counseling” in CMS’s HCPCS Level II October 2026 release.
Does Medicare cover G9621?
CMS lists G9621’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 G9621
All G codesG9615Preoperative assessment documentedG9616Documentation of reason(s) for not documenting a preoperative assessment (e.g., patient with a gynecologic or other pelvic malignancy noted at the time of surgery)G9617Preoperative assessment not documented, reason not givenG9618Documentation of screening for uterine malignancy or those that had an ultrasound and/or endometrial sampling of any kindG9619Documentation of reason(s) for not screening for uterine malignancy (e.g., prior hysterectomy)G9620Patient not screened for uterine malignancy, or those that have not had an ultrasound and/or endometrial sampling of any kind, reason not givenG9622Patient not identified as an unhealthy alcohol user when screened for unhealthy alcohol use using a systematic screening methodG9623Documentation of medical reason(s) for not screening for unhealthy alcohol use (e.g., limited life expectancy, other medical reasons)G9624Patient not screened for unhealthy alcohol use using a systematic screening method or patient did not receive brief counseling if identified as an unhealthy alcohol userG9625Patient sustained bladder injury at the time of surgery or discovered subsequently up to 30 days post-surgeryG9626Documented medical reason for not reporting bladder injury (e.g., gynecologic or other pelvic malignancy documented, concurrent surgery involving bladder pathology, injury that…G9627Patient did not sustain bladder injury at the time of surgery nor discovered subsequently up to 30 days post-surgery