Preventive Medicine: Alcohol Misuse Screening & Counseling

Procedure Codes
G0442: Annual alcohol misuse screening, 15 minutes
G0443: Brief face-to-face behavioral counseling for alcohol misuse, 15 minutes
99408: Alcohol and/or substance (other than tobacco) abuse structured screening (eg, AUDIT, DAST), and brief intervention (SBI) services; 15 to 30 minutes
99409: Alcohol and/or substance (other than tobacco) abuse structured screening (eg, AUDIT, DAST), and brief intervention (SBI) services; greater than 30 minutes

ICD-10-CM
No specific diagnosis code

Frequency
G0442: Once annually
G0443: 4 times per year for those who test positive
99408-99409: No frequency guidelines specified

Additional Information

99408-99409

• Not covered by Medicare for preventative care, consider using G0442 or G0443 instead, as supported by documentation

G0442, G0443, 99409

• If a patient is positive for alcohol misuse (but not alcohol dependence) documentation should include that they met two additional criteria:
• They are competent and alert during counseling
• Counseling is provided by a qualified provider in a primary care setting
• Treatments for substance abuse/misuse is required to be covered per ACA guidelines