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CPT 95965: Magnetoencephalography (MEG) for Spontaneous Brain Activity

CPT code 95965 covers magnetoencephalography (MEG), a specialized neuroimaging procedure that records spontaneous magnetic activity of the brain. MEG is used to localize functional brain activity and inform diagnosis and treatment planning for conditions such as epilepsy, seizure disorders, and surgical mapping. Nationally, availability and utilization of MEG affect access to advanced neurodiagnostic care and can influence care pathways for complex neurological patients.

Key payers addressed in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for the procedure, guidance on typical sites of service, and an outline of common billing considerations. The publication summarizes payer coverage patterns and reimbursement benchmarks where available, notes relevant policy or coding updates that affect billing practice, and highlights operational implications for facilities that offer MEG.

Intended readers will gain a clear understanding of what CPT code 95965 represents, how it is used clinically, and the payer landscape affecting access and billing for MEG services. Data not available in the input are identified explicitly elsewhere in the publication.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 95965 describes magnetoencephalography (MEG), a noninvasive neuroimaging procedure that records and analyzes a patient’s spontaneous brain magnetic activity using specialized sensors. The service captures magnetic fields produced by neuronal electrical currents to evaluate brain function and localize neural activity.

Service type: Neurodiagnostic / Neuroimaging procedure

Typical site of service: Hospital outpatient department, specialized neurophysiology or imaging center, or academic medical center neurology department

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CPT 95965: Magnetoencephalography (MEG) for Spontaneous Brain Activity

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Neurodiagnostic / Neuroimaging procedure

Typical site of service: Hospital outpatient department, specialized neurophysiology or imaging center, or academic medical center neurology department

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is a 28–65-year-old referred by neurology for evaluation of focal epilepsy that is resistant to medication. The patient presents to an outpatient neurodiagnostic center or an academic hospital neurophysiology lab for magnetoencephalography (MEG) recording. Prior to the study, the technologist reviews the indication, recent MRI and electroencephalography (EEG) findings, and confirms lack of ferromagnetic implants or contraindications. The patient is positioned supine with head stabilization in the MEG helmet; spontaneous brain magnetic activity is recorded for baseline resting state and, when indicated, during activation maneuvers (hyperventilation, photic stimulation) or task performance. The interpreting physician (neurologist or neurophysiologist) reviews raw sensor data, performs source localization and dipole modeling, and integrates results with MRI for surgical planning or localization of epileptogenic zones. Typical sites of service are an outpatient neurophysiology laboratory, hospital-based imaging center, or an academic medical center. Typical clinical workflow includes pre-procedure screening, MEG acquisition (often 60–120 minutes), post-processing/source analysis, physician interpretation, and a documented report to the referring provider addressing localization and concordance with other studies for management decisions such as epilepsy surgery candidacy or targeted electrode placement.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	When reporting only the interpreting physician's professional work separate from technical facility charge
`TC`	Technical component	When reporting only facility or equipment use and technologist services for the MEG acquisition
`59`	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.
`52`	Reduced services	When the MEG study is partially completed or abbreviated due to patient intolerance but yields reportable data
`53`	Discontinued procedure	When the MEG is started but terminated for patient safety or other unavoidable reasons without complete acquisition
`76`	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.
`78`	Return to operating/procedure room for a related procedure following initial procedure (unplanned)	Rarely used; applicable if an additional MEG-related procedure is performed emergently after the initial session
`80`	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.
`62`	Two surgeons	Data not typically applicable; reserved for operative procedures involving two surgeons

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2084P0800X	Neurology	Neurologists interpret MEG studies for epilepsy localization and functional mapping
2084N0400X	Neurophysiology	Clinical neurophysiologists or EEG/MEG specialists perform interpretation and oversight
207RH0000X	Radiology (Neuroradiology)	Neuroradiologists collaborate for MRI co-registration and imaging correlation
1164P0400X	Clinical Laboratory (Neurodiagnostics)	Technologists and lab directors responsible for acquisition and quality control

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`G40.901`	Epileptic seizure, unspecified, not intractable, without status epilepticus	MEG is used to localize epileptogenic foci in patients with seizures when EEG/MRI are inconclusive
`G40.811`	Epileptic seizure, focal onset, with impairment of consciousness, intractable	MEG assists in presurgical evaluation for focal intractable epilepsy
`G40.509`	Epileptic seizure, focal onset, unspecified, not intractable, without status epilepticus	Useful for localization when clinical semiology suggests focal onset seizures
`G93.49`	Other encephalopathy	MEG can assess abnormal cortical activity patterns in encephalopathy evaluation and research contexts
`R41.840`	Disorientation, unspecified	When cognitive mapping is needed, MEG can contribute functional localization relevant to disorientation or cognitive deficits

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`95812`	Electroencephalogram (EEG); routine with recording of awake and drowsy states, 20-40 minutes	Often performed before or alongside MEG to provide complementary electrical data for localization
`70553`	Magnetic resonance imaging, brain (including brainstem); with and without contrast material	MRI is used for anatomical co-registration and source localization with MEG results
`95970`	Magnetoencephalography (MEG) with invasive or noninvasive localization, other specified technique	Ancillary or alternative MEG-related procedure codes that may be used for different MEG services or extended localization studies
`92540`	Electrocochleography and related auditory evoked potentials	When MEG is used for auditory cortex functional mapping, auditory evoked potential testing may be performed in conjunction
`92626`	Assessment of central auditory function, brief	Supplemental functional testing in pre-surgical mapping workflows

CPT 95966: Magnetoencephalography for Evoked Brain Magnetic Activity

CPT-95967-MEG-EVOKED-BRAIN-ACTIVITY-ADDITIONAL-MODALITY

CPT 95967: MEG Evoked Brain Activity, Additional Functional Modality

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	When reporting only the interpreting physician's professional work separate from technical facility charge
`TC`	Technical component	When reporting only facility or equipment use and technologist services for the MEG acquisition
`59`	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.
`52`	Reduced services	When the MEG study is partially completed or abbreviated due to patient intolerance but yields reportable data
`53`	Discontinued procedure	When the MEG is started but terminated for patient safety or other unavoidable reasons without complete acquisition
`76`	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.
`78`	Return to operating/procedure room for a related procedure following initial procedure (unplanned)	Rarely used; applicable if an additional MEG-related procedure is performed emergently after the initial session
`80`	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.
`62`	Two surgeons	Data not typically applicable; reserved for operative procedures involving two surgeons

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2084P0800X	Neurology	Neurologists interpret MEG studies for epilepsy localization and functional mapping
2084N0400X	Neurophysiology	Clinical neurophysiologists or EEG/MEG specialists perform interpretation and oversight
207RH0000X	Radiology (Neuroradiology)	Neuroradiologists collaborate for MRI co-registration and imaging correlation
1164P0400X	Clinical Laboratory (Neurodiagnostics)	Technologists and lab directors responsible for acquisition and quality control

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`G40.901`	Epileptic seizure, unspecified, not intractable, without status epilepticus	MEG is used to localize epileptogenic foci in patients with seizures when EEG/MRI are inconclusive
`G40.811`	Epileptic seizure, focal onset, with impairment of consciousness, intractable	MEG assists in presurgical evaluation for focal intractable epilepsy
`G40.509`	Epileptic seizure, focal onset, unspecified, not intractable, without status epilepticus	Useful for localization when clinical semiology suggests focal onset seizures
`G93.49`	Other encephalopathy	MEG can assess abnormal cortical activity patterns in encephalopathy evaluation and research contexts
`R41.840`	Disorientation, unspecified	When cognitive mapping is needed, MEG can contribute functional localization relevant to disorientation or cognitive deficits

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`95812`	Electroencephalogram (EEG); routine with recording of awake and drowsy states, 20-40 minutes	Often performed before or alongside MEG to provide complementary electrical data for localization
`70553`	Magnetic resonance imaging, brain (including brainstem); with and without contrast material	MRI is used for anatomical co-registration and source localization with MEG results
`95970`	Magnetoencephalography (MEG) with invasive or noninvasive localization, other specified technique	Ancillary or alternative MEG-related procedure codes that may be used for different MEG services or extended localization studies
`92540`	Electrocochleography and related auditory evoked potentials	When MEG is used for auditory cortex functional mapping, auditory evoked potential testing may be performed in conjunction
`92626`	Assessment of central auditory function, brief	Supplemental functional testing in pre-surgical mapping workflows

CPT 95966: Magnetoencephalography for Evoked Brain Magnetic Activity

CPT-95967-MEG-EVOKED-BRAIN-ACTIVITY-ADDITIONAL-MODALITY

CPT 95967: MEG Evoked Brain Activity, Additional Functional Modality

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

OpenPayer

CPT 95965: Magnetoencephalography (MEG) for Spontaneous Brain Activity

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 95965: Magnetoencephalography (MEG) for Spontaneous Brain Activity

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Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References