S0257 HCPCS Level II code: Counseling and discussion regarding advance directives or end of life care planning and decisions, with patient and/or surrogate (list separately in addition…
S0257 is the HCPCS code for “Counseling and discussion regarding advance directives or end of life care planning and decisions, with patient and/or surrogate (list separately in addition to code for appropriate evaluation and…” in CMS’s October 2026 release, in effect from Oct 1, 2026.
Official description
S0257Counseling and discussion regarding advance directives or end of life care planning and decisions, with patient and/or surrogate (list separately in addition to code for appropriate evaluation and management service)
Short description: End of life counseling
HCPCS · United States
Medicare details
The indicators CMS publishes with S0257 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, 2005
Where S0257 sits
- 1S codesTemporary national codes (non-Medicare)
- 2Active code S0257Counseling and discussion regarding advance directives or end of life care planning and decisions, with patient and/or surrogate (list separately in addition to code for appropriate evaluation and management service)
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 S0257 mean?
S0257 is the HCPCS code for “Counseling and discussion regarding advance directives or end of life care planning and decisions, with patient and/or surrogate (list separately in addition to code for appropriate evaluation and management service)” in CMS’s HCPCS Level II October 2026 release.
Does Medicare cover S0257?
CMS lists S0257’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 S0257
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