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    v1.0.31
    OpenPayerBilling CodesAlcohol and Drug Abuse TreatmentHCPCS hcpcs-h0049-alcohol-drug-screening
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    HCPCS H0049: Alcohol and/or Drug Screening

    HCPCS Level II code H0049 describes alcohol and/or drug screening, a brief diagnostic screening service typically performed as a behavioral health screening in outpatient clinic settings, community-based programs, or substance use treatment facilities to identify possible alcohol or drug use and determine need for further assessment or intervention.

    For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Home Health Care Services - Medical Policy, Adult Foster Care, Group Adult Foster Care Clinical Coverage Criteria.

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    Table of contents

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    Clinical & Coding Specifications

    Clinical Context

    A 28-year-old male presents to an outpatient behavioral health clinic for intake after employer-mandated testing following a workplace incident. The clinician documents recent risky alcohol consumption and orders an alcohol and/or drug screening to confirm substance use. The typical clinical workflow includes brief history and consent, specimen collection (urine or breath), point-of-care immunoassay screening or collection for laboratory confirmatory testing, documentation of results in the medical record, and communication of findings to the referring employer or treatment team as permitted by privacy rules. Specimen handling follows chain-of-custody procedures when testing is for legal or occupational purposes. Billing for the encounter includes the screening service represented by H0049; additional services such as counseling, confirmatory laboratory testing, or medical evaluation are billed separately using appropriate CPT/HCPCS codes and modifiers as needed.

    Related CPT Codes

    CPT CodeDescriptionRelationship to This Procedure
    80307Drug screen, presumptive, any number of drug classes, any method; each procedureCommonly performed as a point-of-care or laboratory presumptive immunoassay screening that complements H0049.
    80306Drug test, presumptive, qualitative; multiple drug classesAlternative presumptive screen code used for multi-panel rapid tests associated with the screening visit.
    80305Drug test, presumptive, qualitative; single drug classUsed when only a single-substance screen (e.g., ethanol) is performed along with the H0049 service.
    80320Drug confirmation by definitive methodology, e.g., GC/MS, LC/MS/MSPerformed after a positive presumptive screen to confirm specific substances; typically billed by the laboratory separately.
    99213Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, typically 15 minutesOften billed alongside H0049 when a clinician performs evaluation and brief counseling during the same visit.
    99408Alcohol and/or substance abuse structured screening and brief intervention services, 15 to 30 minutesMay be reported when structured SBI is provided in addition to the screening test represented by H0049.

    Related Modifiers

    9 rows

    ModifierDescriptionWhen to Use
    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…
    23Modifier -23 (Unusual Anesthesia) is used on anesthesia service CPT codes when a procedure that normally requires no anesthesia or only local anesthesia must be performed under general anesthesia…- Use modifier -23 only on anesthesia CPT codes (00100–01999) when a procedure that normally requires no anesthesia or only local anesthesia must be performed under general anesthesia because of…
    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…
    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…
    54Modifier ‑54 (“Surgical care only”) is appended to a CPT surgical procedure when the reporting surgeon performs the intraoperative (surgical) component but does not furnish the preoperative and/or…- Use modifier -54 when the reporting surgeon provided only the intraoperative (surgical) component of a procedure and preoperative and/or postoperative management has been or will be provided by…
    55Modifier –55 indicates the billing provider furnished only postoperative management for a procedure that has a global surgical period. According to AAPC, this modifier is appended to the same CPT…- Use modifier -55 when billing the same CPT surgical code that has a 10- or 90-day global period and you, as a provider other than the original surgeon, furnished ONLY postoperative management (no…
    56Modifier ‑56 indicates the reporting provider furnished only the preoperative management for a surgical procedure and did not perform the intraoperative or postoperative care. It is used in…- Use Modifier -56 when a provider performs only the preoperative management in a split‑care situation (one physician manages preop care while a different physician performs the intraoperative…
    62Modifier 62 indicates that two surgeons function as co‑surgeons, each performing distinct parts of the same primary surgical procedure. It is appended to the primary procedure code (and any…- Use modifier -62 when two surgeons act as co‑surgeons (both primary surgeons) on a single definitive primary procedure, each performing distinct parts of the same surgical procedure (append -62 to…

    Related Provider Taxonomies

    8 rows

    Taxonomy Code
    163W00000X
    2084P0802X
    208D00000X
    363L00000X
    343800000X
    363LP1700X
    172V00000X
    3245S0500X

    Related ICD-10-CM Codes

    30 rows

    ICD-10-CM CodeDescription
    F10.10Alcohol abuse, uncomplicated
    F10.20Alcohol dependence, uncomplicated
    F10.21Alcohol dependence, in remission
    F11.10Opioid abuse, uncomplicated
    F11.129Opioid abuse with intoxication, unspecified
    F11.20Opioid dependence, uncomplicated
    F12.10Cannabis abuse, uncomplicated
    F12.20Cannabis dependence, uncomplicated
    F13.10Sedative, hypnotic or anxiolytic abuse, uncomplicated
    F13.20Sedative, hypnotic or anxiolytic dependence, uncomplicated

    Showing 1–10 of 30

    Related Payer Policy Updates

    Specialty: Home Health & Hospice1 / 3

    10 rows

    PolicyPayerEffective Date
    Home Health Care Services - Medical PolicyHealth-New-England2027-02-01
    Adult Foster Carefallon_community_health_plan_inc2027-01-27
    Group Adult Foster Care Clinical Coverage Criteriafallon_community_health_plan_inc2027-01-01
    Hospice and Palliative Care- Medical PolicyHealth-New-England2026-12-01
    Home Health Care Payment Policyfallon_community_health_plan_inc2026-12-01
    Private Duty Nursing Services (for Ohio Only)Colorado Rocky Mountain Health Plans2026-11-01
    Personal Care Attendant and Personal Care Management Agency ServicesMass General Brigham Health Plan2026-11-01
    Private Duty Nursing in the Home SettingAnthem2026-10-01
    Home Health, Skilled, and Custodial Care Services (for Nebraska Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-10-01
    Home Health, Skilled, and Custodial Care Services (for Tennessee Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-10-01

    Related Codes

    HCPCS-H0001-ALCOHOL-DRUG-ASSESSMENT-OUTPATIENT

    HCPCS H0001: Alcohol and/or Drug Assessment

    HCPCS-H0002-BEHAVIORAL-HEALTH-SCREENING-ADMISSION-ELIGIBILITY

    HCPCS H0002: Behavioral Health Screening for Treatment Admission

    HCPCS-H0003-ALCOHOL-DRUG-SCREENING-LAB-ANALYSIS

    HCPCS Level II H0003: Alcohol and/or Drug Screening Laboratory Analysis

    HCPCS-H0004-BEHAVIORAL-HEALTH-COUNSELING-15-MINUTE

    HCPCS H0004: Behavioral Health Counseling and Therapy, per 15 Minutes

    HCPCS-H0005-GROUP-COUNSELING-SUBSTANCE-USE-CLINICIAN

    HCPCS H0005: Alcohol and/or Drug Group Counseling by Clinician

    HCPCS-H0006-ALCOHOL-DRUG-CASE-MANAGEMENT

    HCPCS H0006: Alcohol and/or Drug Services, Case Management

    HCPCS-H0007-ALCOHOL-DRUG-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-OUTPATIENT

    HCPCS H0007: Alcohol and/or Drug Crisis Intervention (Outpatient)

    HCPCS-H0008-SUB-ACUTE-DETOXIFICATION-HOSPITAL-INPATIENT

    HCPCS H0008: Alcohol and/or Drug Sub-Acute Detoxification (Inpatient)

    HCPCS-H0009-ACUTE-DETOXIFICATION-HOSPITAL-INPATIENT

    HCPCS Level II H0009: Acute Detoxification, Hospital Inpatient

    HCPCS-H0010-SUB-ACUTE-RESIDENTIAL-DETOXIFICATION

    HCPCS H0010: Sub-Acute Detoxification, Residential Inpatient

    Showing 1–10 of 93

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    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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