Is G0444 covered by Medicare?

Coverage varies by code, payer, and clinical context. Cross-check the current Medicare Local Coverage Determination (LCD) for the adjudicating Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC), and any commercial payer policy for non-Medicare patients. Many HCPCS Level II codes (especially DME and certain drugs) require prior authorization.

What documentation is required for G0444?

Documentation must support medical necessity per the payer LCD or commercial-payer policy. For DME codes: written order, face-to-face encounter where required, beneficiary education. For drug codes: NDC, dose administered, units, route, site, wastage if applicable. For ambulance: origin, destination, miles, medical necessity. For supplies: linked diagnosis and medical necessity.

What are common denial reasons for G0444?

The most common denial categories are CO-16 (information missing or incorrect), CO-50 (medical necessity), and CO-151 (benefit maximum reached, often for DME rental cycles). Specific denial behavior varies by payer and plan.

Who can I get help from on G0444 billing?

For specialty-specific coding questions, AAPC- and AHIMA-credentialed coders on the Medonix team handle production billing for U.S. healthcare practices including HCPCS Level II claims (drugs, DME, ambulance, Medicare-specific procedures). Book a discovery call at /audit/ to talk through your specialty and payer mix.

HCPCS Level II · Procedures and professional services (temporary)

G0444: Annual depression screening, 5 to 15 minutes

Name: Medonix MSO
Address: 300 Delaware Ave Suite 210, Wilmington, DE, 19801, US
Telephone: +1-302-520-5413
Price range: $$

G0444 is the HCPCS Level II code for Annual depression screening, 5 to 15 minutes. Section G, Procedures and professional services (temporary). Code-specific billing context provided.

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G0444Depression screen annual

Section: GCategory: Procedures and professional services (temporary)Billable

About this code

Depression screen annual.

G0444 is a HCPCS Level II code in section G (Procedures and professional services (temporary)). The full official descriptor is: Annual depression screening, 5 to 15 minutes.

Annual depression screening, 5 to 15 minutes. Document the validated screening tool used (PHQ-2, PHQ-9, etc.) and the score result. Pair with appropriate ICD-10 (Z13.31 if screening encounter, F32.x or F33.x if positive).

Payer-specific coverage rules vary. Always cross-check against the current Medicare Local Coverage Determination (LCD) for the adjudicating Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) or the commercial-payer policy.

Billing context

What practitioners watch for on G0444.

Code-specific billing guidance for G0444, written from production billing experience.

Documentation

Common denial categories

CO-16: Information missing or incorrect on the claim or supporting documentation. Add documentation specificity (NDC for drugs, serial number for DME, mileage for transport) and resubmit.
CO-50: Service not deemed medically necessary. Confirm the diagnosis-procedure relationship matches the payer LCD/NCD; attach clinical justification and resubmit.
CO-151: Payer benefit maximum reached for this period (often DME rental cycles). Verify benefit history; for DME rental-to-purchase cycles confirm month count and switch billing to purchase code where applicable.

Coverage signal

G0444 is Medicare-only. Cannot bill same day as Initial Preventive Physical Exam (G0402) or other preventive visits unless documented separately. Annual frequency limit.

Common specialties

Family Medicine · Internal Medicine · Mental Health & Psychiatry

Companion codes

Codes commonly billed alongside G0444 based on Medonix client production data and CMS coding guidance.

2 codes

G0438Initial Annual Wellness Visit (Medicare)HCPCS
G0439Subsequent Annual Wellness Visit (Medicare)HCPCS

CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Codes shown for educational reference only.

Related codes

Other codes in section G.

Search all codes

Sources

Where this entry comes from.

NLM Clinical Tables Search Service: the official U.S. National Library of Medicine API for HCPCS Level II lookup.
CMS HCPCS Quarterly Update: the authoritative HCPCS Level II release with annual major updates each January.
CMS Medicare Coverage Database: Local Coverage Determinations and National Coverage Determinations for payer-specific rules.

Frequently asked

About HCPCS code G0444.

G0444 is the HCPCS Level II code for Annual depression screening, 5 to 15 minutes. It belongs to section G (Procedures and professional services (temporary)). Document the supply, drug, or service per the code descriptor and pair with the diagnosis (ICD-10) supporting medical necessity.

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