HCPCS G0444 is officially defined as "Annual depression screening, 5 to 15 minutes." HCPCS G0444 is referenced in 11 tracked payer policy changes from Anthem BCBS, L.A. Care Health Plan, and 4 other payers. For billers and coders, staying current on payer-specific coverage criteria, reimbursement rules, and prior-authorization requirements for HCPCS G0444 is critical to clean claim submission. Each entry below links to the full policy analysis with effective dates and action steps.
Effective January 1, 2027, HealthKeepers, Inc. (Anthem HealthKeepers Plus Medicaid in Virginia) will discontinue reimbursement for 44 specific procedure codes to align with the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) fee schedule. The practice must stop billing these codes for dates of service on or after that date, as claims for discontinued codes will be denied or subject to adjustment and recovery.
L.A. Care Health Plan requires providers to conduct and document maternal mental health screenings during pregnancy and postpartum using validated tools like EPDS or PHQ-9, with specific billing codes for enhanced HEDIS reporting. Positive screens must have documented follow-up within 30 days and appropriate referrals within 10 days.
BCBSRI clarifies that HCPCS G0444 (annual depression screening) will not be separately reimbursed when billed with an E/M visit on the same date unless proper modifier is used and documentation supports separate billing. This is a reminder of existing policy, not a new change.
Medical Mutual requires all medical claims to be submitted electronically. Beginning September 1, 2025, it no longer accepts medical claim submissions via paper or email. Four reimbursement policies were implemented effective May 1, 2025: Emergency Department Fracture Care (RP-202506), Services and Modifiers Not Reimbursable to Health Care Professionals (RP-202507), Preventive Medicine, Screening, and Evaluation and Management Services (RP-202508), and Initial Preventive Physical Examination, Annual Wellness Visit, Preventive Medicine, and Evaluation and Management Services for Medicare Advantage (RP-202509). Regular provider notices are available only on the provider website after June 30, 2025.
Blue Cross of Idaho updated FQHC billing requirements for Medicare Advantage patients, removing MMCP/IMP billing requirements and clarifying language for Chronic Care Management (CCM), Virtual Communication Services (VCS), Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model (CoCM), and telehealth services. FQHCs must continue using specific revenue codes and HCPCS codes for qualifying services under the CMS Prospective Payment System.
Blue Cross of Idaho revised billing requirements for Rural Health Centers (RHCs) under Medicare Advantage plans, removing MMCP/IMP language from previous policy versions. RHCs must continue using specific Type of Bill 71X with designated revenue codes and CPT/HCPCS codes for qualifying visits under the CMS prospective payment system.
CareSource Indiana Medicaid is offering a $25.00 incentive payment to eligible rendering providers for utilizing four specific behavioral health screening codes (G0444, G0442, 99408, 99409) with qualifying visits from April 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025. This incentive does not reduce existing fee schedule rates and excludes FQHC and RHC providers. Effective July 1, 2025.
Blue Cross of Idaho revised its Medicare Advantage billing policy for Rural Health Clinics in September 2026 to add preventive exam language and update how care coordination, virtual communication services, psychiatric collaborative care, telehealth and vaccines are billed, following CMS coding changes. The policy gives no single effective date for the September 2026 revision, but it lists code-specific dates of January 1, 2026 and October 1, 2026, both now passed. The entry for G0511 reads 'Oct. 1, 25', which is unclear, so confirm that date with Blue Cross of Idaho.
Blue Cross of Idaho's FQHC billing policy for Medicare Advantage claims, with the September 2026 revision that added language on preventive exams. Preventive exams (CPT 99381 through 99387) are billed separately on a CMS-1500 claim, and FQHC qualifying visits need the right type of bill, revenue code and CMS payment HCPCS code, because claims missing any of these are denied and returned for correction. The policy text states no effective date of its own, so confirm the current rules on the payer's site.
Blue Cross of Idaho's billing policy for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) on Medicare Advantage claims, last revised September 2026 to add preventive exam language. FQHC qualifying visits must carry the right type of bill, revenue code and CMS payment HCPCS code, and claims missing any of these are denied and returned for correction, so the FQHC billing team needs to confirm its claim setup against the current list.
Medical Mutual updated guidelines for billing both wellness visits and sick visits on the same day for Medicare Advantage patients. When treating acute problems during an annual wellness visit, providers can bill both the wellness code (G0402, G0438, or G0439) and a problem-oriented visit code (99202-99215) but must add modifier 25 to the sick visit code only.
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