G0121 — Colorectal cancer screening; colonoscopy on individual not meeting criteria for high risk
G0121 is a HCPCS Level II code for colorectal cancer screening; colonoscopy on individual not meeting criteria for high risk. It belongs to the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section. Whether Medicare pays it depends on the coverage rule below.
Medicare coverage: Special coverage instructions apply
There are published conditions attached to this code. Check the applicable coverage policy before billing it: the code being valid is not the same as the service being covered.
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 statusA
Active code. Paid separately under the physician fee schedule.
- Work RVU
- 3.18
- PE (non-facility)
- 7.73
- PE (facility)
- 1.34
- Malpractice RVU
- 0.42
Global period: 000
Want the dollar amount for your locality? The fee calculator applies your GPCI and the current conversion factor.
Medically Unlikely Edits — units per day
The most units of G0121 Medicare will pay on one date of service. Bill more on a single line and it is denied. The limit is not the same in every setting, so the row that matters is the one matching the claim you are building.
- practitioner
- 1 unit MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · Anatomic Consideration
- outpatient
- 1 unit MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · Anatomic Consideration
The adjudication indicator decides whether exceeding the limit is worth appealing at all: MAI 1 is a line edit you can support with documentation, MAI 3 is a date-of-service edit that is also appealable, and MAI 2 is absolute — no documentation overrides it. CMS MUE 2026Q3.
The CMS record for G0121
- Long descriptor
- Colorectal cancer screening; colonoscopy on individual not meeting criteria for high risk
- Short descriptor
- Colon ca scrn not hi rsk ind
- Added
- January 1, 1998
- BETOS
- P8D
- Pricing indicator
- 11 — Physician 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.
Berenson-Eggers Type of Service — CMS's own analytic grouping.
Price established using national RVUs.
Codes adjacent to G0121
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If G0121 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- G0104Colorectal cancer screening; flexible sigmoidoscopy
- G0105Colorectal cancer screening; colonoscopy on individual at high risk
- G0106Colorectal cancer screening; alternative to g0104, screening sigmoidoscopy, barium enematerminated
- G0108Diabetes outpatient self-management training services, individual, per 30 minutes
- G0109Diabetes outpatient self-management training services, group session (2 or more), per 30 minutes
- G0117Glaucoma screening for high risk patients furnished by an optometrist or ophthalmologist
- G0118Glaucoma screening for high risk patient furnished under the direct supervision of an optometrist or ophthalmologist
- G0120Colorectal cancer screening; alternative to g0105, screening colonoscopy, barium enema.terminated
- G0122Colorectal cancer screening; barium enematerminated
- G0123Screening cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), collected in preservative fluid, automated thin layer preparation, screening by cytotechnologist under physician supervision
- G0124Screening cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), collected in preservative fluid, automated thin layer preparation, requiring interpretation by physician
- G0127Trimming of dystrophic nails, any number
- G0128Direct (face-to-face with patient) skilled nursing services of a registered nurse provided in a comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility, each 10 minutes beyond the first 5 minutes
- G0129Occupational therapy services requiring the skills of a qualified occupational therapist, furnished as a component of a partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient treatment program, per session (45 minutes or more)
- G0130Single energy x-ray absorptiometry (sexa) bone density study, one or more sites; appendicular skeleton (peripheral) (e.g., radius, wrist, heel)
- G0136Administration of a standardized, evidence-based assessment of physical activity and nutrition, 5-15 minutes, not more often than every 6 months
Questions about G0121
What is HCPCS code G0121?
G0121 is a HCPCS Level II code for colorectal cancer screening; colonoscopy on individual not meeting criteria for high risk. It sits in the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section.
Does Medicare cover G0121?
The CMS HCPCS file marks G0121 as "Special coverage instructions apply". There are published conditions attached to this code. Check the applicable coverage policy before billing it: the code being valid is not the same as the service being covered.
How is G0121 paid under the physician fee schedule?
G0121 carries PFS status code A. Active code. Paid separately under the physician fee schedule.