G8576 No Postoperative Renal Failure — HCPCS Reimbursement | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

HCPCS G8576: No Postoperative Renal Failure/Dialysis Not Required

HCPCS Level II code G8576 documents that a patient did not experience postoperative renal failure and did not require dialysis after a surgical or procedural encounter. Nationally, clear documentation of postoperative renal outcomes is important for quality reporting, postoperative care coordination, and billing clarity. Accurate use of this code supports clinical records that distinguish uncomplicated renal recovery from cases that require renal replacement therapy.

Key payers discussed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the code’s clinical purpose, common settings where it applies, and the payer landscape that typically addresses postoperative renal outcomes. The publication covers benchmark usage patterns, relevant policy and coverage considerations from major payers, and clinical context for when documentation should reflect absence of postoperative renal failure. It also highlights coding nuances and administrative considerations for claims processing and quality measurement.

This summary provides clinicians, coders, and policy analysts with the necessary context to recognize the code’s role in postoperative documentation, understand where it is applied, and anticipate payer engagement and documentation expectations.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicareG8576HCPCS Level IIpostoperative carerenal failuredialysisquality documentationhospital inpatientsurgical follow-up

Billing Code Overview

HCPCS Level II code G8576 denotes No postoperative renal failure/dialysis not required. This code documents the absence of postoperative renal failure and that dialysis was not required following a surgical or procedural encounter.

Service type: Postoperative status assessment and documentation
Typical site of service: Inpatient hospital or surgical facility postoperative care and documentation

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient scenario involves an adult who underwent a major or complex surgical procedure (for example, major vascular surgery, cardiac surgery, or extensive abdominal operation) with perioperative concern for renal impairment. Postoperatively the patient demonstrates stable urine output, serum creatinine at or near baseline, and no requirement for dialysis during the index hospitalization. The clinical workflow: the surgical team documents intraoperative and immediate postoperative renal status; the attending physician documents absence of postoperative renal failure and that dialysis was not required; nursing records include urine output and fluid balance; the coder assigns G8576 to indicate no postoperative renal failure/dialysis not required for quality reporting and value-based program purposes. Typical site of service is inpatient acute care (hospital) after a qualifying operative procedure when postoperative renal outcome is assessed.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work required is substantially greater than usual for the primary operative procedure related to complexity that may impact renal risk documentation.
`23`

Related Codes

HCPCS-G9715-HOSPICE-UTILIZATION-MEASURE

HCPCS G9715: Hospice Services Utilization

HCPCS-G2126-ADVANCED-ILLNESS-WITH-FRAILTY-66-80

HCPCS G2126: Advanced Illness with Frailty, Ages 66–80

HCPCS-G9103-GASTRIC-CANCER-ADENOCARCINOMA-METASTATIC-DISEASE-STATUS

HCPCS G9103: Gastric Cancer Adenocarcinoma, Metastatic Disease Status

HCPCS-G8683-LVF-TESTING-NOT-PERFORMED-MEDICAL-OR-PATIENT-REASON

HCPCS G8683: LVF Testing Not Performed for Medical or Patient-Documented Reason

HCPCS-G9615-PREOPERATIVE-ASSESSMENT-DOCUMENTED

HCPCS G9615: Preoperative Assessment, Documented

HCPCS-G9433-DEATH-OR-PERMANENT-NURSING-HOME-OR-HOSPICE-PALLIATIVE-CARE

HCPCS G9433: Death or Permanent Nursing Home or Hospice/Palliative Care

HCPCS-G8740-LVEF-NOT-PERFORMED-ASSESSED

HCPCS G8740: Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Not Performed or Assessed

HCPCS-G8735-ELDER-MALTREATMENT-SCREEN-POSITIVE-NO-FOLLOW-UP

HCPCS G8735: Elder Maltreatment Screen Positive, No Follow-Up

HCPCS-G9195-MAJOR-DEPRESSION-NO-ANTIDEPRESSANT-IN-180-DAY-CONTINUATION

HCPCS G9195: Major Depression Without Antidepressant During 180-Day Continuation Phase

HCPCS-G2162-ZOSTER-VACCINE-STATUS-OR-ADVERSE-REACTION

HCPCS G2162: Zoster Vaccine Status or Adverse Reaction

Showing 1–10 of 1996

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`2080P0207X`	General Surgery	Common surgeon specialty performing major operations where postoperative renal outcome is assessed.
`2084P0800X`	Cardiothoracic Surgery	Applies to cardiac and thoracic procedures with high renal risk profiles.
`207L00000X`	Vascular Surgery	Vascular procedures have notable renal complication risk and document postoperative dialysis status.
`2086S0122X`	Critical Care Medicine	Intensivists managing postoperative patients and documenting renal status in ICU.
`363LF0000X`	Nephrology	Consultants for renal function assessment and dialysis decision-making postoperatively.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`N17.9`	Acute kidney failure, unspecified	Common diagnosis monitored postoperatively to determine whether renal failure developed; absence supports `G8576`.
`N18.9`	Chronic kidney disease, unspecified	Baseline CKD increases risk for postoperative renal failure; documentation of no new dialysis requirement is relevant.
`R39.15`	Urinary urgency	Postoperative urinary symptoms may be assessed when evaluating renal function but not directly indicative of dialysis need.
`E87.6`	Hypokalemia	Electrolyte disturbances postoperatively can affect renal function; monitoring supports assessment that dialysis was not required.
`E87.5`	Hyperkalemia	Significant postoperative hyperkalemia can precipitate dialysis; documentation of no dialysis required is clinically relevant.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`99223`	Initial hospital care, typically 70 minutes or more	Used by admitting or attending physician to document and bill comprehensive postoperative evaluation including renal status.
`99238`	Hospital discharge day management; 30 minutes or less	Used when documenting discharge summary that includes statement of no postoperative renal failure and no dialysis required.
`36556`	Insertion of non-tunneled centrally inserted central venous catheter, without subcutaneous port or pump, age 5 years or older	May be performed when renal dysfunction is suspected for potential dialysis access but not needed if `G8576` applies.
`90935`	Hemodialysis procedure with single evaluation by a physician or other qualified health care professional	Relevant when dialysis was considered; absence of this service supports `G8576` for no postoperative dialysis required.
`94002`	Ventilation assist and management; initiation of pressure or volume preset ventilators for acute respiratory failure	Critical care procedure sometimes occurring concomitantly in patients at risk for renal failure; documentation of renal status contributes to quality reporting.