G0148 — Screening cytopathology smears, cervical or vaginal, performed by automated system with manual rescreening
G0148 is a HCPCS Level II code for screening cytopathology smears, cervical or vaginal, performed by automated system with manual rescreening. 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 statusX
Statutory exclusion. The item or service is not within the statutory definition of 'physician services', so the fee schedule never pays it.
Global period: XXX
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 G0148 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 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Anatomic Consideration
- outpatient
- 1 unit MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · 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 G0148
- Long descriptor
- Screening cytopathology smears, cervical or vaginal, performed by automated system with manual rescreening
- Short descriptor
- Scr c/v cyto, autosys, rescr
- Added
- January 1, 1999
- 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.
Berenson-Eggers Type of Service — CMS's own analytic grouping.
Price subject to the national limitation amount.
Codes adjacent to G0148
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If G0148 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- G0138Intravenous infusion of cipaglucosidase alfa-atga, including provider/supplier acquisition and clinical supervision of oral administration of miglustat in preparation of receipt of cipaglucosidase alfa-atga
- G0140Principal illness navigation - peer support by certified or trained auxiliary personnel under the direction of a physician or other practitioner, including a certified peer specialist; 60 minutes per calendar month, in the following activities: person-centered interview, performed to better understand the individual context of the serious, high-risk condition. ++ conducting a person-centered interview to understand the patient's life story, strengths, needs, goals, preferences, and desired outcomes, including understanding cultural and linguistic factors, and including unmet sdoh needs (that are not billed separately). ++ facilitating patient-driven goal setting and establishing an action plan. ++ providing tailored support as needed to accomplish the person-centered goals in the practitioner's treatment plan. identifying or referring patient (and caregiver or family, if applicable) to appropriate supportive services. practitioner, home, and community-based care communication. ++ assist the patient in communicating with their practitioners, home-, and community-based service providers, hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities (or other health care facilities) regarding the patient's psychosocial strengths and needs, goals, preferences, and desired outcomes, including cultural and linguistic factors. ++ facilitating access to community-based social services (e.g., housing, utilities, transportation, food assistance) as needed to address sdoh need(s). health education. helping the patient contextualize health education provided by the patient's treatment team with the patient's individual needs, goals, preferences, and sdoh need(s), and educating the patient (and caregiver if applicable) on how to best participate in medical decision-making. building patient self-advocacy skills, so that the patient can interact with members of the health care team and related community-based services (as needed), in ways that are more likely to promote personalized and effective treatment of their condition. developing and proposing strategies to help meet person-centered treatment goals and supporting the patient in using chosen strategies to reach person-centered treatment goals. facilitating and providing social and emotional support to help the patient cope with the condition, sdoh need(s), and adjust daily routines to better meet person-centered diagnosis and treatment goals. leverage knowledge of the serious, high-risk condition and/or lived experience when applicable to provide support, mentorship, or inspiration to meet treatment goals
- G0141Screening cytopathology smears, cervical or vaginal, performed by automated system, with manual rescreening, requiring interpretation by physician
- G0143Screening cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), collected in preservative fluid, automated thin layer preparation, with manual screening and rescreening by cytotechnologist under physician supervision
- G0144Screening cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), collected in preservative fluid, automated thin layer preparation, with screening by automated system, under physician supervision
- G0145Screening cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), collected in preservative fluid, automated thin layer preparation, with screening by automated system and manual rescreening under physician supervision
- G0146Principal illness navigation - peer support, additional 30 minutes per calendar month (list separately in addition to g0140)
- G0147Screening cytopathology smears, cervical or vaginal, performed by automated system under physician supervision
- G0151Services performed by a qualified physical therapist in the home health or hospice setting, each 15 minutes
- G0152Services performed by a qualified occupational therapist in the home health or hospice setting, each 15 minutes
- G0153Services performed by a qualified speech-language pathologist in the home health or hospice setting, each 15 minutes
- G0154Direct skilled nursing services of a licensed nurse (lpn or rn) in the home health or hospice setting, each 15 minutesterminated
- G0155Services of clinical social worker in home health or hospice settings, each 15 minutes
- G0156Services of home health/hospice aide in home health or hospice settings, each 15 minutes
- G0157Services performed by a qualified physical therapist assistant in the home health or hospice setting, each 15 minutes
- G0158Services performed by a qualified occupational therapist assistant in the home health or hospice setting, each 15 minutes
Questions about G0148
What is HCPCS code G0148?
G0148 is a HCPCS Level II code for screening cytopathology smears, cervical or vaginal, performed by automated system with manual rescreening. It sits in the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section.
Does Medicare cover G0148?
The CMS HCPCS file marks G0148 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 G0148 paid under the physician fee schedule?
G0148 carries PFS status code X. Statutory exclusion. The item or service is not within the statutory definition of 'physician services', so the fee schedule never pays it.