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    v1.0.30
    OpenPayerBilling CodesSubsequent Nursing Facility CareCPT cpt-99309-subsequent-nursing-facility-care-moderate-complexity
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    CPT 99309: Subsequent Nursing Facility Care, Moderate Complexity

    Medicare pays $118 and commercial payers pay $122 on average nationally for this procedure.

    CPT code 99309 describes a subsequent nursing facility evaluation and management (E/M) visit for an established patient where care involves moderate complexity medical decision making or the clinician spends at least 30 minutes total time on the encounter; service type is subsequent nursing facility care, and the typical site of service is a nursing facility or skilled nursing facility on a single date of service.

    For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Field Stimulation for Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders, Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) Coverage Policy, Radiofrequency Therapy for Fecal Incontinence.

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    National Reimbursement Benchmarks

    Medicare’s mean rate of $117.7 sits slightly below BUCA’s average commercial mean of $122.4, indicating that commercial plans as represented by BUCA pay modestly higher on average for CPT 99309 than Medicare. Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealth Group also show means above Medicare at $122.5 and $126.5 respectively, while Aetna ($97.2) and Cigna ($143.2) bracket the market with Cigna notably higher than Medicare.

    Assessing dispersion using the interquartile range (P75 minus P25), Blue Cross Blue Shield has a range of $44.6, UnitedHealth Group’s range is $68.7, Cigna’s range is $89.7, Aetna’s range is $28.0, and BUCA’s range is $53.8. Aetna exhibits the tightest IQR at $28.0, while Cigna displays the widest dispersion at $89.7, suggesting greater variability in negotiated commercial payments among payers.

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    National Payer Mean Reimbursement Rates

    State Reimbursement Rates

    State: Alaska1 / 51

    Rate by payer

    Clinical & Coding Specifications

    Clinical Context

    A 79-year-old nursing home resident with a history of I10 (essential hypertension), E11.9 (type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications), and M81.0 (age-related osteoporosis without current pathological fracture) is seen by the attending geriatrician for a scheduled subsequent nursing facility visit. The encounter is a routine follow-up to assess chronic disease control, medication tolerability, fall risk, and preventive care after a recent annual facility review (Z00.01). The clinician performs a focused interval history and examination, reviews blood pressure logs, recent point-of-care glucose readings, and laboratory results, adjusts antihypertensive medication, and documents counseling on fall prevention and bone health. Medical decision making is moderate in complexity due to medication adjustment, review of multiple chronic conditions, and coordination with nursing staff.

    The clinical workflow includes: admission nursing prepares vitals and medication list; facility staff provide recent glucose and fall incident reports; the physician or advanced practitioner reviews the chart, examines the patient at bedside, documents time spent (total time ≥30 minutes for the date), updates problem list and orders labs or imaging as indicated, communicates orders to nursing, and completes required facility documentation and billing using 99309 for the subsequent nursing facility care visit.

    Related CPT Codes

    CPT CodeDescription

    Related Modifiers

    11 rows

    ModifierDescriptionWhen to Use
    25CPT modifier 25 indicates that on the same day as another procedure or service, the same physician or other qualified health care professional provided a significant, separately identifiable…- When to apply: Use modifier 25 only on an E/M code to indicate the same provider delivered a significant, separately identifiable E/M service on the same day as another procedure or service — i.e.,…
    24Modifier 24 denotes an unrelated evaluation and management (E/M) service performed by the same physician or qualified healthcare professional during a postoperative global period. Per CPT guidance,…- Use modifier 24 when you report an evaluation and management (E/M) service performed by the same physician or same-specialty group during a procedure’s postoperative global period that is unrelated…
    22Modifier –22 (Increased Procedural Services) is used when a reported procedure is substantially more extensive than normally required. The CPT Manual and CMS state it may be appended only when the…- When to use: Append modifier -22 to a procedural CPT code when the service performed is substantially more extensive than the usual service described by that code — i.e., the procedure required…
    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…
    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…
    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…
    78CPT modifier -78 indicates an unplanned, related return to the operating or procedure room by the same provider during the global postoperative period. It is appended when treatment for a…- Use modifier -78 when an unplanned, related complication during the original procedure’s global postoperative period requires the patient to return to a formal operating or procedure room and the…
    80CPT® Modifier 80 (Assistant Surgeon) is appended to a surgical CPT code when a physician (MD or DO) provides full, continuous assistance throughout the operative procedure. It is intended only for…- Use CPT Modifier -80 when a physician (MD or DO) serves as an assistant surgeon and provides full, continuous assistance throughout the entire operative procedure; append -80 to the surgical CPT…

    Showing 1–10 of 11

    Related Provider Taxonomies

    8 rows

    Taxonomy Code
    207Q00000X
    207RG0300X
    207R00000X
    2083S0010X
    273Y00000X
    261QH0100X
    246QM0706X
    225B00000X

    Related Payer Policy Updates

    Specialty: Gastroenterology1 / 3

    10 rows

    PolicyPayerEffective Date
    Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Field Stimulation for Functional Abdominal Pain Disordersbcbsvermont2026-12-01
    Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) Coverage Policyevicore2026-11-05
    Radiofrequency Therapy for Fecal IncontinenceCigna2026-10-15
    Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation for the Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)univerahealthcare2026-10-15
    High-Resolution Anoscopy (HRA)Premera Bluecross2026-10-01
    Gastroesophageal and Gastrointestinal (GI) Services and ProceduresColorado Rocky Mountain Health Plans2026-10-01
    Serum Testing for Hepatic Fibrosis in the Evaluation and Monitoring of Chronic Liver DiseaseOscar Health2026-10-01
    Fecal Analysis in the Diagnosis of Intestinal Dysbiosis and Fecal Microbiota Transplant TestingOscar Health2026-10-01
    Pancreatic Enzyme Testing for Acute PancreatitisOscar Health2026-10-01
    Helicobacter pylori TestingOscar Health2026-10-01

    Related Codes

    CPT-99307-SUBSEQUENT-NURSING-FACILITY-E-M-VISIT-10-MINS

    CPT 99307: Subsequent Nursing Facility Care, Straightforward

    CPT-99308-SUBSEQUENT-NURSING-FACILITY-EVALUATION-AND-MANAGEMENT-LOW-MDM-20MIN

    CPT 99308: Subsequent Nursing Facility Care, Low Complexity

    CPT-99310-SUBSEQUENT-NURSING-FACILITY-CARE-HIGH-COMPLEXITY-OR-45-MIN-TIME

    CPT 99310: Subsequent Nursing Facility Care, High Complexity

    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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    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.

    Relationship to This Procedure
    99308Subsequent nursing facility care, per day, detailed interval history or examination; medical decision making of low complexityLower-intensity subsequent nursing facility visit; used when only low complexity MDM or shorter time is documented
    99310Subsequent nursing facility care, per day, comprehensive interval history and examination; medical decision making of high complexityHigher-intensity subsequent nursing facility visit; used when high-complexity MDM or comprehensive exam is documented
    99304Initial nursing facility care, per day, comprehensive history and exam; MDM of moderate complexityInitial visit for a new nursing facility admission or new attending physician encounter; precedes 99309 visits in the care episode
    99305Initial nursing facility care, per day, comprehensive history and exam; MDM of high complexityInitial high-complexity admission visit; may be followed by subsequent 99309 visits for ongoing management