G0176 — Activity therapy, such as music, dance, art or play therapies not for recreation, related to the care and treatment of patient's disabling mental health problems, per session (45 minutes or more)
G0176 is a HCPCS Level II code for activity therapy, such as music, dance, art or play therapies not for recreation, related to the care and treatment of patient's disabling mental health problems, per session (45 minutes or more). 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 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 G0176 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.
- outpatient
- 5 units MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction
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 G0176
- Long descriptor
- Activity therapy, such as music, dance, art or play therapies not for recreation, related to the care and treatment of patient's disabling mental health problems, per session (45 minutes or more)
- Short descriptor
- Opps/php/iop; activity thrpy
- Added
- January 1, 2001
- BETOS
- Y2
- 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 G0176
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If G0176 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- G0161Services performed by a qualified speech-language pathologist, in the home health setting, in the establishment or delivery of a safe and effective speech-language pathology maintenance program, each 15 minutes
- G0162Skilled services by a registered nurse (rn) for management and evaluation of the plan of care; each 15 minutes (the patient's underlying condition or complication requires an rn to ensure that essential non-skilled care achieves its purpose in the home health or hospice setting)
- G0163Skilled services of a licensed nurse (lpn or rn) for the observation and assessment of the patient's condition, each 15 minutes (the change in the patient's condition requires skilled nursing personnel to identify and evaluate the patient's need for possible modification of treatment in the home health or hospice setting)terminated
- G0164Skilled services of a licensed nurse (lpn or rn), in the training and/or education of a patient or family member, in the home health or hospice setting, each 15 minutesterminated
- G0166External counterpulsation, per treatment session
- G0168Wound closure utilizing tissue adhesive(s) only
- G0173Linear accelerator based stereotactic radiosurgery, complete course of therapy in one sessionterminated
- G0175Scheduled interdisciplinary team conference (minimum of three exclusive of patient care nursing staff) with patient present
- G0177Training and educational services related to the care and treatment of patient's disabling mental health problems per session (45 minutes or more)
- G0179Physician or allowed practitioner re-certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians and allowed practitioners to affirm the initial implementation of the plan of care
- G0180Physician or allowed practitioner certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians and allowed practitioners to affirm the initial implementation of the plan of care
- G0181Physician or allowed practitioner supervision of a patient receiving medicare-covered services provided by a participating home health agency (patient not present) requiring complex and multidisciplinary care modalities involving regular physician or allowed practitioner development and/or revision of care plans
- G0182Physician supervision of a patient under a medicare-approved hospice (patient not present) requiring complex and multidisciplinary care modalities involving regular physician development and/or revision of care plans, review of subsequent reports of patient status, review of laboratory and other studies, communication (including telephone calls) with other health care professionals involved in the patient's care, integration of new information into the medical treatment plan and/or adjustment of medical therapy, within a calendar month, 30 minutes or more
- G0183Quantitative software measurements of cardiac volume, cardiac chambers volumes and left ventricular wall mass derived from ct scan(s) data of the chest/heart (with or without contrast)
- G0186Destruction of localized lesion of choroid (for example, choroidal neovascularization); photocoagulation, feeder vessel technique (one or more sessions)
- G0202Screening mammography, bilateral (2-view study of each breast), including computer-aided detection (cad) when performedterminated
Questions about G0176
What is HCPCS code G0176?
G0176 is a HCPCS Level II code for activity therapy, such as music, dance, art or play therapies not for recreation, related to the care and treatment of patient's disabling mental health problems, per session (45 minutes or more). It sits in the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section.
Does Medicare cover G0176?
The CMS HCPCS file marks G0176 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 G0176 paid under the physician fee schedule?
G0176 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.