G8875 — Clinician diagnosed breast cancer preoperatively by a minimally invasive biopsy method
G8875 is a HCPCS Level II code for clinician diagnosed breast cancer preoperatively by a minimally invasive biopsy method. It belongs to the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section. Whether Medicare pays it depends on the coverage rule below.
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.
Physician fee schedule statusM
Measurement code. Used for reporting purposes only; never paid.
Global period: XXX
Want the dollar amount for your locality? The fee calculator applies your GPCI and the current conversion factor.
The CMS record for G8875
- Long descriptor
- Clinician diagnosed breast cancer preoperatively by a minimally invasive biopsy method
- Short descriptor
- Breast cancer dx min invsive
- Added
- January 1, 2012
- 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.
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 G8875
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If G8875 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- G8867Pneumococcal vaccine not administered or previously received, reason not given
- G8868Patients receiving a first course of anti-tnf therapyterminated
- G8869Patient has documented immunity to hepatitis b and initiating anti-tnf therapy
- G8870Hepatitis b vaccine injection administered or previously received and is receiving a first course of anti-tnf therapyterminated
- G8871Patient not receiving a first course of anti-tnf therapyterminated
- G8872Excised tissue evaluated by imaging intraoperatively to confirm successful inclusion of targeted lesionterminated
- G8873Patients with needle localization specimens which are not amenable to intraoperative imaging such as mri needle wire localization, or targets which are tentatively identified on mammogram or ultrasound which do not contain a biopsy marker but which can be verified on intraoperative inspection or pathology (e.g., needle biopsy site where the biopsy marker is remote from the actual biopsy site)terminated
- G8874Excised tissue not evaluated by imaging intraoperatively to confirm successful inclusion of targeted lesionterminated
- G8876Documentation of reason(s) for not performing minimally invasive biopsy to diagnose breast cancer preoperatively (e.g., lesion too close to skin, implant, chest wall, etc., lesion could not be adequately visualized for needle biopsy, patient condition prevents needle biopsy [weight, breast thickness, etc.], duct excision without imaging abnormality, prophylactic mastectomy, reduction mammoplasty, excisional biopsy performed by another physician)
- G8877Clinician did not attempt to achieve the diagnosis of breast cancer preoperatively by a minimally invasive biopsy method, reason not given
- G8878Sentinel lymph node biopsy procedure performed
- G8879Clinically node negative (t1n0m0 or t2n0m0) invasive breast cancerterminated
- G8880Documentation of reason(s) sentinel lymph node biopsy not performed (e.g., reasons could include but not limited to; non-invasive cancer, incidental discovery of breast cancer on prophylactic mastectomy, incidental discovery of breast cancer on reduction mammoplasty, pre-operative biopsy proven lymph node (ln) metastases, inflammatory carcinoma, stage 3 locally advanced cancer, recurrent invasive breast cancer, clinically node positive after neoadjuvant systemic therapy, patient refusal after informed consent, patient with significant age, comorbidities, or limited life expectancy and favorable tumor; adjuvant systemic therapy unlikely to change)
- G8881Stage of breast cancer is greater than t1n0m0 or t2n0m0
- G8882Sentinel lymph node biopsy procedure not performed, reason not given
- G8883Biopsy results reviewed, communicated, tracked and documentedterminated
Questions about G8875
What is HCPCS code G8875?
G8875 is a HCPCS Level II code for clinician diagnosed breast cancer preoperatively by a minimally invasive biopsy method. It sits in the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section.
Does Medicare cover G8875?
The CMS HCPCS file marks G8875 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.
How is G8875 paid under the physician fee schedule?
G8875 carries PFS status code M. Measurement code. Used for reporting purposes only; never paid.