G8781 — Documentation of medical reason(s) for patient not receiving counseling for diet and physical activity (e.g., patients with palliative goals or for whom treatment of hypertension with standard treatment goals is not clinically appropriate)
G8781 is a HCPCS Level II code for documentation of medical reason(s) for patient not receiving counseling for diet and physical activity (e.g., patients with palliative goals or for whom treatment of hypertension with standard treatment goals is not clinically appropriate). It belongs to the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section. It was terminated on December 31, 2014 and is not valid on new claims.
This code has been terminated
CMS terminated G8781 on December 31, 2014. 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 G8781
- Long descriptor
- Documentation of medical reason(s) for patient not receiving counseling for diet and physical activity (e.g., patients with palliative goals or for whom treatment of hypertension with standard treatment goals is not clinically appropriate)
- Short descriptor
- Doc med reas no counsel diet
- Added
- January 1, 2012
- Terminated
- December 31, 2014
- BETOS
- M5B
- Pricing indicator
- 00 — Not priced by Part B
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.
Service not separately priced by Part B — not covered, bundled into another service, or used by Part A only.
Codes adjacent to G8781
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If G8781 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- G8773Urine protein test was not performed, reason not giventerminated
- G8774Serum creatinine test result documented and reviewedterminated
- G8775Documentation of medical reason(s) for not performing serum creatinine test (e.g., patients with palliative goals or for whom treatment of hypertension with standard treatment goals is not clinically appropriate)terminated
- G8776Serum creatinine test not performed, reason not giventerminated
- G8777Diabetes screening test performedterminated
- G8778Documentation of medical reason(s) for not performing diabetes screening test (e.g., patients with a diagnosis of diabetes, or with palliative goals or for whom treatment of hypertension with standard treatment goals is not clinically appropriate)terminated
- G8779Diabetes screening test not performed, reason not giventerminated
- G8780Counseling for diet and physical activity performedterminated
- G8782Counseling for diet and physical activity not performed, reason not giventerminated
- G8783Normal blood pressure reading documented, follow-up not required
- G8784Patient not eligible (e.g., documentation the patient is not eligible due to active diagnosis of hypertension, patient refuses, urgent or emergent situation)terminated
- G8785Blood pressure reading not documented, reason not given
- G8797Specimen site other than anatomic location of esophagus
- G8798Specimen site other than anatomic location of prostate
- G8806Performance of trans-abdominal or trans-vaginal ultrasound and pregnancy location documented
- G8807Trans-abdominal or trans-vaginal ultrasound not performed for reasons documented by clinician (e.g., patient has a documented intrauterine pregnancy [iup])
Questions about G8781
What is HCPCS code G8781?
G8781 is a HCPCS Level II code for documentation of medical reason(s) for patient not receiving counseling for diet and physical activity (e.g., patients with palliative goals or for whom treatment of hypertension with standard treatment goals is not clinically appropriate). It sits in the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section.
Does Medicare cover G8781?
The CMS HCPCS file marks G8781 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 G8781 still valid?
No. G8781 was terminated on December 31, 2014 and should not be used on new claims.