CPT 0496T
Contractor-priced
0496T · PFS Q4 2026 · Upcoming
No national PFS rate in Q4 2026
Your Medicare Administrative Contractor prices this code case by case, usually after reviewing documentation.
Check for a published amount in your locality.
CMS published status C (carrier-priced) for CPT 0496T in the Q4 2026 Physician Fee Schedule, with no national PFS amount. These figures take effect for dates of service beginning Oct 1, 2026. Treat the blank amount as unpriced, not as $0.
PFS status evidence
Inspect PFS status evidence
- Code
- 0496T
- Release
- Q4 2026, revision 2
- Result
- Contractor-priced
Citations
-
Shows this code’s PFS status (C). Result: Contractor-priced.
Physician relative value file (PPRRVU)Q4 2026 · revision 2
Latest revision of this release
Release period: October 1 – December 31, 2026
This PFS record alone does not establish a $0 allowance or a coverage determination. Any amount from another schedule needs its own evidence.
Record details
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv in rvu26d-updated-08-26-2026.zip (row 429)- hcpcs (col 1)
- 0496T
- modifier (col 2)
- blank
- status_code (col 4)
- C
SHA-256: 4d0d3f19bd954ffc0f5b8439169d267da023d4f6911f4539bb6e98723cb1a626
Why is there no national PFS amount for 0496T?
Its status indicator is C (carrier-priced). Your Medicare Administrative Contractor prices this code case by case, usually after reviewing documentation.
Payment considerations Copy link
Here are the inputs and payment rules that apply to this code. Each link takes you to the detail below.
Other payment indicators (7)
Facility/non-facility: Not determined, Professional/technical component: Does not apply, Bilateral adjustment: Does not apply, Multiple-procedure reduction: Does not apply, Assistant/co-surgeon treatment: Does not apply, Global surgery: Not determined, Other fee-schedule routing: Does not apply.
Why would a Medicare claim for 0496T be denied or paid less?
These come from CMS indicators on this page, not general billing advice.
- Its status indicator is C (carrier-priced)—Your Medicare Administrative Contractor prices this code case by case, usually after reviewing documentation. See status indicators
- 3 codes form NCCI pairs with 0496T carrying modifier indicator 0—no NCCI-associated modifier bypasses the edit, so billed together on the same date of service, a line of the pair denies. See billing together
- 42 codes pair with 0496T under modifier indicator 1—separately payable only when an NCCI-associated modifier (59, or a more specific XE, XS, XP, or XU) is clinically appropriate and the documentation supports a distinct service; without one, a line of the pair denies. See billing together
- More than 4 units per patient per date of service exceeds 0496T's Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE) limit. See billing together
Payer-specific coverage and documentation rules live outside these files, so a claim that clears every check here can still be denied on other grounds.
Reconciling a contractor-priced payment for 0496T Copy link
There is no national allowed amount for 0496T, so every reconciliation of this line runs against the MAC fee schedule that was in force for the date of service rather than against a national baseline.
What to check
- Compare the paid amount against the MAC fee schedule in force for the date of service; there is no national allowed amount here to reconcile against.
- Reconcile this line together with the primary procedure on the same claim—it is an add-on that is never billed alone and carries no global period of its own.
- Reprice the line against the release, locality, setting, modifier and participation status that applied to the date of service before treating any difference as an underpayment.
Codes to compare
National Q4 2026 amounts at GPCI 1.000. A blank means this schedule does not publish a payable PFS amount.
None of the comparison codes are in this release.
Sources: CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Relative Value Files; CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Relative Value Files (status indicator field); CMS Medicare Claims Processing Manual (Pub. 100-04).
Which billing rules and modifiers apply? Copy link
Global period: what 0496T's fee already covers Copy link
This code is always billed alongside another service and carries no follow-up period of its own. The primary procedure's global period governs; this indicator does not determine whether either line is payable.
Billing policy Copy link
These billing-policy indicators explain how 0496T is treated. They apply whether the code is nationally priced or carrier-priced: a restriction like "bilateral not allowed" still matters on a carrier-priced code.
| Policy | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No reduction. No multiple-procedure reduction applies when this procedure is billed with others on the same date; each is paid at its full fee schedule amount. |
Can you bill it with another code? Copy link
Check a pair of codes Copy link
Enter a second CPT or HCPCS code billed on the same date of service. We'll check the current NCCI procedure-to-procedure edit for the pair.
Billing together (NCCI edits) Copy link
NCCI Q4 2026Based on CMS's National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI). A few examples appear here; use the complete edit page to check a specific pair.
Not separately payable with 0496T on the same date of service—no modifier bypasses the edit (modifier indicator 0)
Separately payable with 0496T only when an NCCI-associated modifier is appropriate and documented (modifier indicator 1)
Showing 3 of 42.
Modifier 59 and the X modifiers are not a universal bypass—CMS expects the most specific applicable modifier, and which one that is depends on the pair and the documented circumstances.
Check a paired code or view all 45 NCCI pairs →
Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE) limit: 4 units per patient per date of service.
How has it changed? Copy link
When does this rate change?
CMS publishes a fee schedule release every quarter (January, April, July, October), and each is versioned here. See what changed each release, or get an email when a new release moves rates.
Sources: CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Relative Value Files.
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Source & method
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Contractor amounts come from the MAC-published schedules and effective dates shown above. The PFS file shows this code is priced by the contractor. Past releases are never edited, so these sources stay valid after CMS publishes a newer one. Our methodology explains sourcing, parsing, versioning, and how we cross-check claims before we publish them.
Use the (i) buttons next to each amount above for the exact row, columns, and math.
Cite this rate
The citation names the release, so anyone can check it even after CMS publishes a newer one.
CPT 0496T National PFS baseline: No national PFS rate (Q4 2026; participating; whole service; GPCI 1.000; sequestration excluded). Localis. https://localishealth.com/cpt/0496T/2026/D