G8949 — Documentation of patient reason(s) for patient not receiving counseling for diet and physical activity (e.g., patient is not willing to discuss diet or exercise interventions to help control blood pressure, or the patient said he/she refused to make these changes)
G8949 is a HCPCS Level II code for documentation of patient reason(s) for patient not receiving counseling for diet and physical activity (e.g., patient is not willing to discuss diet or exercise interventions to help control blood pressure, or the patient said he/she refused to make these changes). It belongs to the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section. It was terminated on December 31, 2014 and is not valid on new claims.
This code has been terminated
CMS terminated G8949 on December 31, 2014. 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 G8949
- Long descriptor
- Documentation of patient reason(s) for patient not receiving counseling for diet and physical activity (e.g., patient is not willing to discuss diet or exercise interventions to help control blood pressure, or the patient said he/she refused to make these changes)
- Short descriptor
- Doc pt reas on counsel diet
- Added
- January 1, 2013
- Terminated
- December 31, 2014
- 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.
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 G8949
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If G8949 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- G8940Screening for depression documented as positive, a follow-up plan not completed, documented reasonterminated
- G8941Elder maltreatment screen documented as positive, follow-up plan not documented, documentation the patient is not eligible for follow-up plan at the time of the encounterterminated
- G8942Functional outcome assessment using a standardized tool is documented within the previous 30 days and a care plan, based on identified deficiencies is documented within two days of the functional outcome assessment
- G8943Ldl-c result not present or not within 12 months priorterminated
- G8944Ajcc melanoma cancer stage 0 through iic melanoma
- G8946Minimally invasive biopsy method attempted but not diagnostic of breast cancer (e.g., high risk lesion of breast such as atypical ductal hyperplasia, lobular neoplasia, atypical lobular hyperplasia, lobular carcinoma in situ, atypical columnar hyperplasia, flat epithelial atypia, radial scar, complex sclerosing lesion, papillary lesion, or any lesion with spindle cells)
- G8947One or more neuropsychiatric symptomsterminated
- G8948No neuropsychiatric symptomsterminated
- G8950Elevated or hypertensive blood pressure reading documented, and the indicated follow-up is documented
- G8951Pre-hypertensive or hypertensive blood pressure reading documented, indicated follow-up not documented, documentation the patient is not eligibleterminated
- G8952Elevated or hypertensive blood pressure reading documented, indicated follow-up not documented, reason not given
- G8953All quality actions for the applicable measures in the oncology measures group have been performed for this patientterminated
- G8955Most recent assessment of adequacy of volume management documented
- G8956Patient receiving maintenance hemodialysis in an outpatient dialysis facility
- G8957Patient not receiving maintenance hemodialysis in an outpatient dialysis facilityterminated
- G8958Assessment of adequacy of volume management not documented, reason not given
Questions about G8949
What is HCPCS code G8949?
G8949 is a HCPCS Level II code for documentation of patient reason(s) for patient not receiving counseling for diet and physical activity (e.g., patient is not willing to discuss diet or exercise interventions to help control blood pressure, or the patient said he/she refused to make these changes). It sits in the Procedures and Professional Services (Temporary) section.
Does Medicare cover G8949?
The CMS HCPCS file marks G8949 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 G8949 still valid?
No. G8949 was terminated on December 31, 2014 and should not be used on new claims.