G9623 — Documentation of medical reason(s) for not screening for unhealthy alcohol use (e.g., limited life expectancy, other medical reasons)
G9623 is a HCPCS Level II code for documentation of medical reason(s) for not screening for unhealthy alcohol use (e.g., limited life expectancy, other medical reasons). It belongs to the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section. It was terminated on December 31, 2022 and is not valid on new claims.
This code has been terminated
CMS terminated G9623 on December 31, 2022. 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 G9623
- Long descriptor
- Documentation of medical reason(s) for not screening for unhealthy alcohol use (e.g., limited life expectancy, other medical reasons)
- Short descriptor
- Doc med rsn no scr etoh use
- Added
- January 1, 2016
- Terminated
- December 31, 2022
- BETOS
- Z2
- 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 G9623
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If G9623 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- G9615Preoperative assessment documentedterminated
- G9616Documentation of reason(s) for not documenting a preoperative assessment (e.g., patient with a gynecologic or other pelvic malignancy noted at the time of surgery)terminated
- G9617Preoperative assessment not documented, reason not giventerminated
- G9618Documentation of screening for uterine malignancy or those that had an ultrasound and/or endometrial sampling of any kindterminated
- G9619Documentation of reason(s) for not screening for uterine malignancy (e.g., prior hysterectomy)terminated
- G9620Patient not screened for uterine malignancy, or those that have not had an ultrasound and/or endometrial sampling of any kind, reason not giventerminated
- G9621Patient identified as an unhealthy alcohol user when screened for unhealthy alcohol use using a systematic screening method and received brief counseling
- G9622Patient not identified as an unhealthy alcohol user when screened for unhealthy alcohol use using a systematic screening method
- G9624Patient not screened for unhealthy alcohol use using a systematic screening method or patient did not receive brief counseling if identified as an unhealthy alcohol user
- G9625Patient sustained bladder injury at the time of surgery or discovered subsequently up to 30 days post-surgery
- G9626Documented medical reason for not reporting bladder injury (e.g., gynecologic or other pelvic malignancy documented, concurrent surgery involving bladder pathology, injury that occurs during a urinary incontinence procedure, patient death from non-medical causes not related to surgery, patient died during procedure without evidence of bladder injury)
- G9627Patient did not sustain bladder injury at the time of surgery nor discovered subsequently up to 30 days post-surgery
- G9628Patient sustained bowel injury at the time of surgery or discovered subsequently up to 30 days post-surgery
- G9629Documented medical reasons for not reporting bowel injury (e.g., gynecologic or other pelvic malignancy documented, planned (e.g., not due to an unexpected bowel injury) resection and/or re-anastomosis of bowel, or patient death from non-medical causes not related to surgery, patient died during procedure without evidence of bowel injury)
- G9630Patient did not sustain a bowel injury at the time of surgery nor discovered subsequently up to 30 days post-surgery
- G9631Patient sustained ureter injury at the time of surgery or discovered subsequently up to 30 days post-surgeryterminated
Questions about G9623
What is HCPCS code G9623?
G9623 is a HCPCS Level II code for documentation of medical reason(s) for not screening for unhealthy alcohol use (e.g., limited life expectancy, other medical reasons). It sits in the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section.
Does Medicare cover G9623?
The CMS HCPCS file marks G9623 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 G9623 still valid?
No. G9623 was terminated on December 31, 2022 and should not be used on new claims.