Summary & Overview

HCPCS G8510: Depression Screening Negative, No Follow-Up Required

HCPCS Level II code G8510 documents that a patient was screened for depression and the result was negative with no follow-up plan required. This code captures routine depression screening encounters and is important for tracking preventive behavioral health services, quality reporting, and administrative workflows across outpatient and primary care settings. Nationally, use of a distinct code for a negative depression screen supports accurate capture of screening rates and resource allocation for behavioral health integration.

Key payers covered in this publication include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of the clinical context for depression screening, descriptions of typical sites of service, and what the code signifies for documentation and billing. The publication summarizes common modifiers and operational considerations, and provides context on how G8510 is used in quality measurement and administrative reporting. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicareG8510HCPCS Level IIdepression screeningbehavioral healthpreventive servicesoutpatientprimary carequality reporting

Billing Code Overview

HCPCS Level II code G8510 indicates that screening for depression was performed and documented as negative, with no follow-up plan required. The service reflects a screening encounter in which the patient screened negative for depressive symptoms and the clinician documented that no additional follow-up was necessary.

Service type: Depression screening (preventive/behavioral health screening)
Typical site of service: Primary care or outpatient behavioral health screening context (office or clinic visit)

Data not available in the input.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 45-year-old adult presents to a primary care clinic for an annual wellness visit. As part of routine preventive screening, the clinician administers a validated depression screening instrument (for example, the PHQ-9). The patient completes the screen and the clinician documents the results in the medical record as negative for depressive symptoms. Because the screen is negative, no additional behavioral health follow-up, referral, or treatment plan is required. The visit occurs in an outpatient office setting staffed by a family medicine physician and medical assistant; the screening was administered by clinical staff and reviewed briefly by the physician before documenting a negative result and closing the preventive screen. Typical sites of service include outpatient physician offices, federally qualified health centers, community clinics, and preventive care visits in ambulatory settings. Billing uses the HCPCS Level II code G8510 to indicate that screening for depression was performed and documented as negative with no follow-up plan required.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`23`	Unusual Anesthesia	Use if unusual anesthesia is required during a visit associated with other procedures (rare for screening).
`52`	Reduced Services	Use when the service provided is partially reduced or not completed as originally planned.
`53`	Discontinued Procedure	Use when the procedure is started but discontinued due to unforeseen circumstances.
`62`	Two Surgeons	Use when two surgeons are required; not typical for screening but included for broader billing contexts.
`95`	Synchronous Telemedicine Service Rendered via Real-Time Interactive Audio and Video	Use when the screening is performed and documented during a real-time telehealth visit.
`AS`	Physician Assistant (PA) Service Rendered	Use when a PA performs or documents the screening under scope of practice.
`QX`	Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) Service with Anesthesiologist Absence	Use in anesthesia-related billing contexts when applicable.
`QY`	Medical Team Member Services for Distinct Part Hospital	Use when services are billed by qualified team members in institutional settings.
`FX`	Physician TAQ (Taxonomy) Not Present	Use when the submitting provider’s taxonomy is missing or not on file per payer rules.
`CQ`	Service Delivered by a Sequestration-Related Practitioner	Use in specialized contracting or delegated care arrangements.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`208D00000X`	Family Medicine	Most common specialty performing routine depression screening during primary care visits.
`207Q00000X`	Internal Medicine	Performs adult preventive screening during annual or problem-focused visits.
`261QM0800X`	Psychiatry & Neurology	May perform screening in consultative or behavioral health settings.
`363L00000X`	Nurse Practitioner	NPs often administer and document screening in outpatient clinics.
`163W00000X`	Physician Assistant	PAs commonly conduct and document screenings under supervising physician arrangements.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`Z00.00`	Encounter for general adult medical examination without abnormal findings	Preventive visit context where screening is negative and no follow-up is required.
`Z13.89`	Encounter for screening for other disorder	Generic screening code used when preventive screens are performed and documented.
`Z13.31`	Encounter for screening for depression	Directly indicates screening for depressive disorder in an asymptomatic or preventive context.
`F32.9`	Major depressive disorder, single episode, unspecified	Relevant when screening is positive; used here as related context though `G8510` documents a negative result.
`F41.9`	Anxiety disorder, unspecified	Common comorbid condition screened for or considered during behavioral health assessments.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`99173`	Screening test of visual acuity, high-risk conditions	Occasionally performed as part of preventive visit workflows alongside behavioral screening.
`96127`	Brief emotional/behavioral assessment (e.g., depression screening)	Commonly used for brief standardized behavioral health screens such as PHQ-2 or PHQ-9 when separately reportable.
`99395`	Periodic comprehensive preventive medicine reevaluation and management, established patient, age 18-39 years	Preventive visit during which depression screening `G8510` may be documented and billed.
`99406`	Smoking and tobacco use cessation counseling, intermediate, greater than 3 minutes up to 10 minutes	Behavioral counseling commonly performed during the same preventive visit when screening identifies risk factors.
`99421`	Online digital evaluation and management service, for an established patient, cumulative time 5–10 minutes	Telehealth or asynchronous digital services that may accompany screening documentation in virtual care workflows.