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    v1.0.30
    OpenPayerBilling CodesAudiologic Function TestsCPT cpt-92556-speech-recognition-hearing-assessment
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    CPT 92556: Word Recognition and Repetition Hearing Assessment

    Medicare pays $49 on average nationally for this procedure.

    CPT code 92556 describes a speech-recognition and word-repetition test used to evaluate a patient’s ability to recognize familiar words and repeat them as part of diagnosing hearing disorders; this is an auditory-perception diagnostic service typically performed by audiology or otolaryngology providers in an outpatient clinic or specialized audiology testing location and is billed as an audiologic diagnostic procedure.

    For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Travoprost Intracameral Implant, Ophthalmology - Pilocarpine 1.25%, Cataract Removal Surgery for Adults.

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    Clinical & Coding Specifications

    Clinical Context

    A 55-year-old patient presents to an audiology clinic with progressive difficulty understanding speech, especially in background noise, and reports hearing loss over several months. The audiologist performs otoscopy and pure-tone audiometry, then conducts a speech recognition test to quantify the patient’s ability to recognize and repeat familiar words in quiet and in noise. The procedure 92556 (speech recognition) is administered in a sound-treated booth using standardized recorded or live-voice word lists. Results guide diagnosis of sensorineural versus conductive hearing loss, determine speech discrimination scores for amplification candidacy, and inform referral to otology or hearing rehabilitation. Typical site of service is an outpatient audiology clinic or hospital outpatient department. The service type is diagnostic audiologic testing performed by an audiologist or qualified provider, with documentation including test method, word list used, presentation level (dB HL or dB SL), patient responses, and speech recognition score.

    Related CPT Codes

    CPT CodeDescriptionRelationship to This Procedure
    92557Comprehensive audiometry threshold evaluation and speech recognition (including pure tone thresholds, air and bone, and speech audiometry)Often performed alongside or as part of a full audiometric evaluation that includes 92556 speech recognition
    92567Tympanometry (impedance testing)Performed before or after speech testing to evaluate middle-ear function that can affect speech recognition
    92585Auditory evoked potentials for threshold estimation and/or hearing screeningMay be used adjunctively for objective assessment when speech recognition testing cannot be completed
    92626Evaluation of auditory rehabilitation status; first hourUsed in follow-up for hearing aid or cochlear implant candidacy after speech recognition testing
    99173Screening test of visual acuity by clinician (example unrelated)Data not available in the input

    Related Modifiers

    6 rows

    ModifierDescriptionWhen to Use
    26Modifier 26 (Professional Component) identifies and bills only the professional portion of a split service — the physician’s interpretation, report, and medical judgment — when the technical…- Use CPT Modifier -26 when you are billing only the professional component (PC) of a split‑bill eligible service—i.e., you performed the physician interpretation, medical judgment and prepared a…
    59Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
    76Modifier -76, Repeat Procedure or Service by Same Physician or Other Qualified Health Care Professional, is appended when the same provider performs an identical, medically necessary procedure or…- Use modifier -76 when the same physician or other qualified health care professional performs an identical procedure or service a second (or subsequent) time on the same date of service and the…
    95Modifier 95 indicates that a service was provided via synchronous, real‑time audio‑video telehealth rather than in‑person. Per CMS, AAPC and professional associations, append modifier 95 to claim…- Use modifier 95 to indicate a service was furnished via synchronous, real‑time audiovisual telehealth (a live audio‑video conference between patient and provider) rather than in‑person. - Pair…
    52Modifier ‑52 (Reduced Services) indicates that a service or procedure was partially reduced or omitted at the provider’s discretion, allowing reporting of the basic procedure number with a qualifier…- Use modifier -52 when a physician or qualified health professional electively reduces or omits part of a procedure or service (for example, performing fewer required views or omitting a portion of…
    53Modifier 53 (Discontinued Procedure) signals that a surgical or diagnostic service was begun by the physician but terminated because of extenuating circumstances that threatened the patient’s…- Use modifier -53 when a physician/qualified healthcare professional has started a surgical or diagnostic procedure (e.g., anesthesia administered, incision or scope insertion) and then discontinues…

    Related Provider Taxonomies

    8 rows

    Taxonomy Code
    207Y00000X
    207L00000X
    208000000X
    261QU0200X
    363A00000X
    2471C1101X
    207XP3100X
    111NR0400X

    Related Payer Policy Updates

    Specialty: Ophthalmology/Optometry1 / 2

    10 rows

    PolicyPayerEffective Date
    Travoprost Intracameral ImplantBluecross Idaho2026-11-01
    Ophthalmology - Pilocarpine 1.25%Cigna2026-10-15
    Cataract Removal Surgery for AdultsAnthem2026-10-01
    Brow Ptosis and Eyelid Repair (for Kentucky Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-10-01
    Cataract Removal Surgery for AdultsAnthem2026-10-01
    Brow Ptosis and Eyelid Repair (for New Mexico Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-10-01
    Brow Ptosis and Eyelid Repair (for Ohio Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-10-01
    Brow Ptosis and Eyelid Repair (for Idaho Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-10-01
    Glaucoma Surgical Treatments (for North Carolina Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-10-01
    Brow Ptosis and Eyelid Repair (for Kansas Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-10-01

    Related Codes

    CPT-92550-TYMPANOMETRY-AND-ACOUSTIC-REFLEX-TESTING

    CPT 92550: Tympanometry and Acoustic Reflex Threshold Measurement

    CPT-92551-HEARING-SCREENING-LIMITED-TONES

    CPT 92551: Limited Hearing Screening with Tones or Sounds

    CPT-92552-PURE-TONE-AUDIOMETRY-THRESHOLD-ASSESSMENT

    CPT 92552: Pure-Tone Audiometry Threshold Detection

    CPT-92553-PURE-TONE-AUDIOMETRY-AIR-AND-BONE-CONDUCTION

    CPT 92553: Diagnostic Audiometry with Air and Bone Conduction Testing

    CPT-92555-SPEECH-RECEPTION-AWARENESS-THRESHOLD

    CPT 92555: Speech Reception/Awareness Threshold Measurement

    CPT-92557-DIAGNOSTIC-AUDIOLOGIC-EVALUATION-PURE-TONE-AND-SPEECH-RECOGNITION

    CPT 92557: Audiometry with Speech Recognition

    CPT-92558-NEWBORN-INFANT-OTOACOUSTIC-EMISSIONS-HEARING-SCREEN

    CPT 92558: Otoacoustic Emissions Newborn Hearing Screening

    CPT-92562-ALTERNATE-BINAURAL-PURE-TONE-AUDIOMETRY

    CPT 92562: Binaural Tone Audiometry, Alternating

    CPT-92563-AUDITORY-NERVE-TRANSMISSION-TIMING-ASSESSMENT

    CPT 92563: Auditory Brainstem Response Test for Hearing Transmission

    CPT-92565-BINAURAL-TONE-COMPARISON-UNILATERAL-HEARING-LOSS

    CPT 92565: Binaural Simultaneous-Tone Test for Unilateral Hearing Loss

    Showing 1–10 of 27

    Frequently Asked Questions

    References

    1. 1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
    2. 2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
    3. 3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.
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