G6040 — Alcohol (ethanol); any specimen except breath
G6040 is a HCPCS Level II code for alcohol (ethanol); any specimen except breath. It belongs to the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section. It was terminated on December 31, 2015 and is not valid on new claims.
This code has been terminated
CMS terminated G6040 on December 31, 2015. It stays in the file as history — a claim you are auditing from before that date may legitimately carry it — but it must not appear on a new claim. The adjacent codes below are the usual place to look for its replacement.
Medicare coverage: Carrier judgment
Coverage is decided by your Medicare contractor, not by national policy. Whether this is paid depends on the LCD for your jurisdiction and on what the documentation supports.
From the coverage field of the CMS Alpha-Numeric HCPCS File, release 2026Q3-Jul. This states Medicare’s position on the code, not on your particular claim.
The CMS record for G6040
- Long descriptor
- Alcohol (ethanol); any specimen except breath
- Short descriptor
- Assay of ethanol
- Added
- January 1, 2015
- Terminated
- December 31, 2015
- BETOS
- T1H
- Pricing indicator
- 21 — Clinical lab fee schedule
The official wording. This is what the code means.
CMS's 28-character form, which is what shows up on a remittance advice.
When CMS introduced the code.
When CMS retired it.
Berenson-Eggers Type of Service — CMS's own analytic grouping.
Price subject to the national limitation amount.
Codes adjacent to G6040
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If G6040 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- G6031Benzodiazepinesterminated
- G6032Desipramineterminated
- G6034Doxepinterminated
- G6035Goldterminated
- G6036Assay of imipramineterminated
- G6037Nortriptylineterminated
- G6038Salicylateterminated
- G6039Acetaminophenterminated
- G6041Alkaloids, urine, quantitativeterminated
- G6042Amphetamine or methamphetamineterminated
- G6043Barbiturates, not elsewhere specifiedterminated
- G6044Cocaine or metaboliteterminated
- G6045Dihydrocodeinoneterminated
- G6046Dihydromorphinoneterminated
- G6047Dihydrotestosteroneterminated
- G6048Dimethadioneterminated
Questions about G6040
What is HCPCS code G6040?
G6040 is a HCPCS Level II code for alcohol (ethanol); any specimen except breath. It sits in the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section.
Does Medicare cover G6040?
The CMS HCPCS file marks G6040 as "Carrier judgment". Coverage is decided by your Medicare contractor, not by national policy. Whether this is paid depends on the LCD for your jurisdiction and on what the documentation supports.
Is G6040 still valid?
No. G6040 was terminated on December 31, 2015 and should not be used on new claims.