H0049 HCPCS Level II code: Alcohol and/or drug screening
H0049 is the HCPCS code for “Alcohol and/or drug screening” in CMS’s October 2026 release, in effect from Oct 1, 2026.
Official description
H0049Alcohol and/or drug screening
Short description: Alcohol/drug screening
HCPCS · United States
Medicare details
The indicators CMS publishes with H0049 in its October 2026 file. They describe Medicare’s handling, not another payer’s.
- Medicare coverage
- Not payable by Medicare
- Medicare pricing
- Service not separately priced by Part B (e.g., services not covered, bundled, used by Part A only, etc.)
- Type of service
- Other medical items or services
- BETOS category
- Undefined codes
- Added
- Jan 1, 2007
Where H0049 sits
- 1H codesBehavioral health and substance use services
- 2Active code H0049Alcohol and/or drug screening
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 H0049 mean?
H0049 is the HCPCS code for “Alcohol and/or drug screening” in CMS’s HCPCS Level II October 2026 release.
Does Medicare cover H0049?
CMS lists H0049’s Medicare coverage as “Not payable by Medicare” 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 H0049
All H codesH0043Supported housing, per diemH0044Supported housing, per monthH0045Respite care services, not in the home, per diemH0046Mental health services, not otherwise specifiedH0047Alcohol and/or other drug abuse services, not otherwise specifiedH0048Alcohol and/or other drug testing: collection and handling only, specimens other than bloodH0050Alcohol and/or drug services, brief intervention, per 15 minutesH0051Traditional healing serviceH0052Missing and murdered indigenous persons (mmip) mental health and clinical careH0053Historical trauma (ht) mental health and clinical care for indigenous personsH1000Prenatal care, at-risk assessmentH1001Prenatal care, at-risk enhanced service; antepartum management