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HCPCS G2251 · Level II · G code

G2251: Brief communication technology-based service, e.g. virtual check-in, HCPCS Level II G code

Compiled from CMS files by the QuickIntell RCM Editorial Team · Data effective · Method: reference methodology · Report a data correction

Data currency: HCPCS Level II file: October 2026 (effective October 1, 2026); PFS relative value file: RVU26D, released August 26, 2026 (effective October 1, 2026); NCCI MUE tables: 2026 Q4 (effective October 1, 2026); NCCI PTP edits: v323r0 (2026 Q4) (effective October 1, 2026); OPPS Addendum B: October 2026 (effective October 1, 2026); Medicare Coverage Database LCD export: MCD release October 8, 2026 (effective October 4, 2026). Next CMS release: January 1, 2027 (quarterly update) for the HCPCS Level II file and NCCI MUE tables and NCCI PTP edits and OPPS Addendum B; RVU27A with the CY2027 PFS final rule, effective January 1, 2027 for the PFS relative value file; weekly, every Thursday for the Medicare Coverage Database LCD export.

Key facts for G2251

Medicare payment
$14.03
PFS non-facility, national; facility $10.69
Coverage code
C
carrier judgment, so the Medicare contractor decides coverage
Practitioner MUE
1
MAI 2
OPPS status
SI A
Services not paid under OPPS; paid under fee schedule or other payment system
NCCI PTP pairs
4
4 hospital outpatient
LCDs and articles
2 / 2

TL;DR

HCPCS Level II G2251 reads "Brief communication technology-based service, e.g. virtual check-in, by a qualified health care professional who cannot report evaluation and management services, provided to an established patient, not originating from a related service provided within the previous 7 days nor leading to a service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment; 5-10 minutes of clinical discussion" in the October 2026 file; it dates from 2021. Medicare's October 2026 physician fee schedule pays G2251 $14.03 non-facility and $10.69 facility nationally, from 0.25 work, 0.16 practice-expense and 0.01 malpractice RVUs at the $33.4009 conversion factor. Qualifying APM participants get $14.10 at $33.5675. MUE limits for G2251: practitioner 1 (MAI 2, Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction); hospital outpatient 1 (MAI 2, Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction). In the NCCI PTP files v323r0 G2251 appears in 0 practitioner pairs as column 2 and 4 as column 1, and in 0 hospital outpatient pairs as column 2 and 4 as column 1. 2 active LCDs and 2 billing and coding articles list G2251 across 17 states plus DC: L33942 (Physical Therapy - Home Health), L34049 (Outpatient Physical and Occupational Therapy Services), A57067, A57311. OPPS status indicator A: Services not paid under OPPS; paid under fee schedule or other payment system. HCPCS record: BETOS M5D (specialist - other); pricing indicator 13; type of service 1 (medical care). 1 other active code opens with "Brief communication technology-based service"; related codes: G2252, G2250, G2214, G2212.

G2251 descriptor and code status

The October 2026 HCPCS Level II file describes G2251 as “Brief communication technology-based service, e.g. virtual check-in, by a qualified health care professional who cannot report evaluation and management services, provided to an established patient, not originating from a related service provided within the previous 7 days nor leading to a service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment; 5-10 minutes of clinical discussion”. It sits in the G section (procedures and professional services, temporary), listed with the other G codes. Although searches often call it the "G2251 CPT code", G2251 is a HCPCS Level II code maintained by CMS, not an AMA CPT code; both go in the same procedure-code field on the claim.

HCPCS file attributes of G2251
FieldValue
Short descriptorBrief chkin, 5-10, non-e/m
Added to HCPCS2021-01-01
Last actionN (no maintenance), effective 2021-01-01
Coverage codeC: carrier judgment, so the Medicare contractor decides coverage
Pricing indicator13: physician fee schedule, priced by the contractor
BETOS categoryM5D: specialist - other
Type of service1: medical care

Medicare payment for G2251

Medicare's October 2026 physician fee schedule pays G2251 $14.03 non-facility and $10.69 facility nationally, from 0.25 work, 0.16 practice-expense and 0.01 malpractice RVUs at the $33.4009 conversion factor. Qualifying APM participants get $14.10 at $33.5675. The amounts below are national figures from the October 2026 CMS files; the contractor applies the locality, rural or state adjustment and the beneficiary's cost sharing.

Physician fee schedule (RVU26D)

Status A: active: paid separately under the physician fee schedule when covered. Global period XXX (global surgery concept does not apply); PC/TC indicator 0 (physician service; the professional/technical split does not apply).

PFS relative values and national payment for G2251
ComponentNon-facilityFacility
Work RVU0.250.25
Practice expense RVU0.160.06
Malpractice RVU0.010.01
Total RVUs0.420.32
National payment (CF $33.4009)$14.03$10.69
Qualifying APM participant (CF $33.5675)$14.10$10.74
  • Multiple procedures (modifier 51): no multiple-procedure reduction
  • Bilateral (modifier 50): 150% bilateral adjustment does not apply
  • Assistant at surgery: assistant at surgery paid only with documentation; co-surgeons: co-surgeons not permitted; team surgery: team surgeons not permitted
  • Physician supervision of diagnostic procedures: supervision concept does not apply

Hospital outpatient (OPPS Addendum B)

Status indicator A (Services not paid under OPPS; paid under fee schedule or other payment system), with no separate OPPS payment rate.

Medically Unlikely Edits for G2251

MUE limits for G2251: practitioner 1 (MAI 2, Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction); hospital outpatient 1 (MAI 2, Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction). The practitioner MUE is a date-of-service policy edit: units above the limit deny even when split across lines, and appeals rarely succeed.

MUE values for G2251 by setting
SettingMUE (units/DOS)MAICMS rationale
Practitioner services12 Date of Service Edit: PolicyCode Descriptor / CPT Instruction
Facility outpatient hospital12 Date of Service Edit: PolicyCode Descriptor / CPT Instruction

The MUE lookup for G2251 shows every setting next to any other code on the same claim.

NCCI edits and add-on rules

In the practitioner PTP file v323r0, G2251 is the column-2 (bundled) code in 0 active pairs and the column-1 code in 4 (0% modifier-allowed); 0 earlier pairs have been deleted.

Column-2 codes bundled into G2251 (practitioner)
Column-2 codePairs
98000 (CPT; descriptor licensed by AMA)1
98004 (CPT; descriptor licensed by AMA)1
99421 (CPT; descriptor licensed by AMA)1
99422 (CPT; descriptor licensed by AMA)1

In the hospital outpatient PTP file v323r0, G2251 is the column-2 (bundled) code in 0 active pairs and the column-1 code in 4 (0% modifier-allowed); 0 earlier pairs have been deleted.

Column-2 codes bundled into G2251 (hospital outpatient)
Column-2 codePairs
98000 (CPT; descriptor licensed by AMA)1
98004 (CPT; descriptor licensed by AMA)1
99421 (CPT; descriptor licensed by AMA)1
99422 (CPT; descriptor licensed by AMA)1

G2251 is neither an add-on code nor a designated primary code in the 2026 Q4 NCCI add-on edit file.

Pair counts show exposure, not the answer for one claim. Check G2251 against a second code to see whether the pair bundles and whether a modifier can separate the services.

Medicare coverage policies for G2251

2 active Local Coverage Determinations and 2 billing and coding articles list G2251. Each applies only in its contractor's jurisdiction, and the article carries the diagnosis codes that support the item or service.

Billing and Coding Articles listing G2251
ArticleTitleContractor(s)Related LCD
A57067Billing and Coding: Outpatient Physical and Occupational Therapy ServicesCGS Administrators, LLCL34049
A57311Billing and Coding: Physical Therapy - Home HealthCGS Administrators, LLCL33942

Denials to expect on G2251

CARC 50 · N115

the diagnosis or documentation does not meet the LCD or billing article that lists G2251

CARC 151 · N362

units of G2251 exceed the practitioner MUE of 1 per date of service

CARC 4

the modifier reported is inconsistent with the code

CARC 16

the claim lacks the description, invoice or pricing detail a contractor-priced code needs

Where QuickIntell fits for G2251 claims

QuickCode supports qualified coder review of units, modifiers and NCCI pairs for G2251 before the claim leaves, and QuickRCM carries claim readiness and the denial follow-up when an edit or coverage policy is missed.

See QuickCode for coder reviewSee QuickRCM for denial follow-upBook a meeting

Frequently asked questions: HCPCS G2251

What does HCPCS code G2251 describe?

"Brief communication technology-based service, e.g. virtual check-in, by a qualified health care professional who cannot report evaluation and management services, provided to an established patient, not originating from a related service provided within the previous 7 days nor leading to a service or procedure within the next 24 hours or soonest available appointment; 5-10 minutes of clinical discussion" (short descriptor "Brief chkin, 5-10, non-e/m"), in the G section (procedures and professional services, temporary). Added 2021-01-01.

Is G2251 a CPT code?

No: CMS maintains G2251 in HCPCS Level II, while the AMA maintains CPT. People do search "G2251 CPT code", and it goes in the same procedure-code field.

What does Medicare pay for G2251?

Medicare's October 2026 physician fee schedule pays G2251 $14.03 non-facility and $10.69 facility nationally, from 0.25 work, 0.16 practice-expense and 0.01 malpractice RVUs at the $33.4009 conversion factor. Qualifying APM participants get $14.10 at $33.5675.

How many units of G2251 can be billed per day?

MUE limits for G2251: practitioner 1 (MAI 2, Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction); hospital outpatient 1 (MAI 2, Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction). For the practitioner MUE (MAI 2), units above 1 deny for the whole day as a policy limit; denials arrive as CARC 151.

Does Medicare cover G2251?

Coverage code C (carrier judgment, so the Medicare contractor decides coverage). 2 active LCDs and 2 billing and coding articles list G2251 across 17 states plus DC: L33942 (Physical Therapy - Home Health), L34049 (Outpatient Physical and Occupational Therapy Services), A57067, A57311.

Sources

Every figure on this page is taken from the CMS publications below, as released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Projection built 2026-10-10. Verify against the primary file before billing or contracting decisions. The reference methodology explains how each figure is computed from these files.

Disclaimer

This page is an operational reference compiled from CMS publications: the HCPCS Level II file, the physician, DMEPOS and clinical laboratory fee schedules, OPPS and ASC addenda, NCCI MUE, PTP and add-on edit tables and the Medicare Coverage Database. Amounts are Medicare national figures before locality and state adjustment; Medicaid and commercial payers set their own. CPT codes are shown as numbers only; CPT descriptors are copyright AMA. Nothing here is legal, clinical or billing advice.

Found a figure that does not match the CMS file? Report a data correction with the CMS file and the value you expected; the request reaches the editorial team through the contact form.