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CPT 99255 Medicare payment status

Unable to determine from available CMS sources

99255 · PFS Q4 2026

Status I is not separately payable under the PFS.

View applicable payment rules
View CMS source and method

CMS RVU26DOctober 1 – December 31, 2026revision 2

PFS status evidence

Physician relative value file (Q4 2026) · rvu26d-updated-08-26-2026.zip (PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv row 13,036)
Inspect PFS status evidence
Code
99255
Release
Q4 2026, revision 2
Result
Unable to determine from available CMS sources

Citations

  • Shows this code’s PFS status (I). Result: Unable to determine from available CMS sources.

    Physician relative value file (PPRRVU)CMS RVU26DOctober 1 – December 31, 2026revision 2

    This PFS record alone does not establish a $0 allowance or a coverage determination. Any amount from another schedule needs its own evidence.

    PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv row 13,036 in rvu26d-updated-08-26-2026.zip

    In the CMS file

    Loading rows 13,034–13,038 of PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv…

    Download rvu26d-updated-08-26-2026.zip from CMS File fingerprint 4d0d3f19bd954ffc0f5b8439169d267da023d4f6911f4539bb6e98723cb1a626

Plain-text summaryReport a problem

CPT 99255 has no published national rate. It carries status I (not valid) in the Q4 2026 release. Medicare uses a different code to report and pay for this service. The blank amount means unpriced, not $0.

Why is there no national PFS amount for 99255?

Its status indicator is I (not valid). Medicare uses a different code to report and pay for this service. Status I is not separately payable under the PFS.

Payment considerations Copy link

Here are the inputs and payment rules that apply to this code. Each link takes you to the detail below.

NCCI same-day edits Applies MUE behavior Applies
Other payment indicators (8)
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: Does not apply, Other fee-schedule routing: Does not apply, Contractor pricing: Does not apply.
Why would a Medicare claim for 99255 be denied or paid less?

These come from CMS indicators on this page, not general billing advice.

  • Its status indicator is I (not valid)—Medicare uses a different code to report and pay for this service. See status indicators
  • 42 codes form NCCI pairs with 99255 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
  • 5842 codes pair with 99255 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 0 units per patient per date of service exceeds 99255'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.

Which billing rules and modifiers apply? Copy link

Global period: what 99255's fee already covers Copy link

XXX Does not apply

The global surgery concept does not apply to this code.

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.

See every current NCCI pair for 99255 →

Billing together (NCCI edits) Copy link

NCCI Q4 2026

Based 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 99255 on the same date of service—no modifier bypasses the edit (modifier indicator 0)

0469T 0469T denies
36591 36591 denies
36592 36592 denies

Showing 3 of 42.

Separately payable with 99255 only when an NCCI-associated modifier is appropriate and documented (modifier indicator 1)

0335T 99255 denies
0338T 99255 denies
0339T 99255 denies

Showing 3 of 5,842.

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 5,884 NCCI pairs →

Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE) limit: 0 units per patient per date of service.

Why a 99255 line may not pay separately Copy link

CMS publishes no separately payable amount for 99255 in this release, so reconciling the line means establishing which status governed the date of service rather than chasing a fee-schedule difference.

What to check

  • Confirm the status that governed the date of service before working this line as a short payment—CMS publishes no separately payable fee-schedule amount for it in this release.
  • Check the place of service: CMS publishes no Office (non-facility) practice-expense amount for this code, so it prices in a Facility setting only.
  • 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.

Compare against 99254, 99281 and 99253: their amounts are in Related codes.

Check an actual payment Model this code in a contract

Sources: CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Relative Value Files; CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Relative Value Files (status indicator field); CMS Practice Expense methodology (cms.gov).

How has it changed? Copy link

Rate history by release Copy link

National Office (non-facility) amount for 99255 across quarterly releases.

Release Status Office Facility
Q4 2026 Oct 1, 2026 – present I — —
Q3 2026 Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026 I — —
Q2 2026 Apr 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2026 I — —
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.

Usage and related codes Copy link

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Source & method

Show sources

This page uses CMS's Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Q4 2026 release (effective October 2026). National baselines use GPCI 1.000 and exclude sequestration. Whether a national amount exists depends on the status and CMS’s payment instructions; blank RVUs are never treated as zero. 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.

Physician relative value file (Q4 2026) · rvu26d-updated-08-26-2026.zip (PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv row 13,036)

Cite this rate

The citation names the release, so anyone can check it even after CMS publishes a newer one.

CPT 99255 National PFS baseline: No national PFS rate (Q4 2026; participating physician; whole service; GPCI 1.000; sequestration excluded). CMS RVU26D, PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv row 13,036. Localis. https://localishealth.com/cpt/99255/2026/D