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CPT code 96139: Psychology testing, technician, each additional 30 minutes2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports additional technician time administering and scoring psychological or neuropsychological tests after the initial technician testing service.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities398.8K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $35.40 for 96139 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $30.41–$51.05.

Medicare rate · 96139

Psychology testing, technician, each additional 30 minutes

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
0
Total RVUs
1.06
Global days
ZZZ

National rate · 2026

$35.40

Office setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 96139 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 96139 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 96139 covers

A trained technician administers and scores psychological or neuropsychological tests as part of a testing battery, such as measures used to assess memory, attention, learning, or emotional functioning. A physician or other qualified health care professional directs the testing service and uses the results in the broader evaluation. Testing may take place in an office, clinic, hospital, or other setting where the patient completes standardized tasks or instruments.

Report 96139 for each additional 30-minute increment after the initial technician testing service reported with 96138. Documentation should identify the tests, technician’s role, and time spent on administration and scoring. Select the technician code family when a technician performs the administration and scoring; 96139 is not a stand-alone service. CMS classifies it as an add-on code billed with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure’s global period.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 96139 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 payment localities

$30.41 to $51.05

$30.41$40.73$51.05
One dot per payment locality, office / nonfacility. Hover a dot to see the locality; select it to open that rate.

109 of 109 payment localities

96139 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Alabama$30.98Unavailable
Alaska$37.71Unavailable
Arizona$34.31Unavailable
Arkansas$30.41Unavailable
Atlanta, GA$35.97Unavailable
Austin, TX$37.46Unavailable
Bakersfield, CA$38.80Unavailable
Baltimore area, MD$37.99Unavailable
Beaumont, TX$32.22Unavailable
Brazoria, TX$35.09Unavailable

96139 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

$30.41

$44.93

Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.

View every state and territory as a table
96139 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AK$37.711
AL$30.981
AR$30.411
AZ$34.311
CA$38.80–$51.0529
CO$37.671
CT$38.131
DC$41.711
DE$34.981
FL$33.85–$36.863
GA$31.58–$35.972
GU$40.261
HI$40.261
IA$32.401
ID$32.571
IL$32.32–$36.364
IN$32.821
KS$32.011
KY$31.481
LA$31.33–$33.322
MA$37.28–$42.272
MD$35.83–$41.713
ME$32.57–$35.092
MI$32.32–$34.172
MN$36.431
MO$30.52–$33.713
MS$30.481
MT$35.401
NC$33.031
ND$35.401
NE$32.681
NH$36.861
NJ$38.66–$41.072
NM$32.471
NV$35.441
NY$33.63–$42.105
OH$32.321
OK$31.621
OR$35.26–$39.332
PA$32.50–$36.862
PR$35.791
RI$36.571
SC$32.711
SD$35.401
TN$32.181
TX$32.22–$37.468
UT$33.281
VA$34.80–$41.712
VI$35.791
VT$35.051
WA$37.28–$43.442
WI$33.921
WV$30.771
WY$35.401

How the 96139 rate is calculated

Each of 96139’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

How the rate is built · 96139

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work0.00

0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense1.06

1.06 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.00

0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

1.0600

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$35.40

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 96139

The CMS indicators that decide how 96139 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 96139

Psychology testing, technician, each additional 30 minutes

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global periodZZZAdd-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period.
Multiple procedures0No multiple-procedure reduction.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

96139 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 96139

    Psychology testing, technician, each additional 30 minutes0 wRVU

    $35.40

  • 96138

    Psychological testing, technician, first 30 minutes0 wRVU

    $37.74+$2.34

  • 96137

    Test administration, additional physician/QHP time0.46 wRVU

    $37.07+$1.67

  • 96146

    Automated testing, single instrument, automated result0 wRVU

    $2.34−$33.06

How to choose

96138Psychological testingTechnician, first 30 minutes
96138 reports the initial technician administration-and-scoring service; 96139 reports each additional 30-minute increment and must be paired with 96138.
96137Test administrationAdditional physician/QHP time
96137 is additional testing time performed by a physician or qualified health care professional. Use 96139 when a technician performs the administration and scoring.
96146Automated testingSingle instrument, automated result
96146 describes a single automated test with an automated result. 96139 applies to additional technician administration-and-scoring time.

Codes related to 96139

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Codes related to 96139
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Primary code
96138Psychological testing, technician, first 30 minutesInitial technician administration-and-scoring service required with 96139.$32.31–$54.12
Used instead
96137Test administration, additional physician/QHP timeAdditional testing time when a physician or qualified health care professional performs the work.$34.01–$48.36
96136Test administration, physician or QHP, first 30 minutesInitial administration-and-scoring service when performed by a physician or qualified health care professional.$39.95–$56.39
96146Automated testing, single instrument, automated resultFor a single automated test with an automated result, rather than technician-performed testing.$1.89–$3.07
Often billed with
96130Psychological evaluation, first hourPsychological test evaluation may accompany technician testing as a distinct professional service.$117.47–$167.62
96132Neuropsychological evaluation, first hourNeuropsychological test evaluation may accompany technician testing as a distinct professional service.$116.26–$166.19

96139 billing questions

Which primary code must accompany 96139?

Report 96139 only with 96138, the initial technician administration-and-scoring service. It cannot be submitted as a stand-alone service.

How does 96139 differ from 96137?

Both represent additional testing time, but 96139 is for administration and scoring by a technician; 96137 is for work performed by a physician or other qualified health care professional.

Can 96139 and 96137 represent the same testing work?

Do not use both code families to report the same administration-and-scoring work. Choose the family that matches who performed that work.

What supports reporting additional units?

Document the tests administered and scored, who performed the work, and the time attributable to the additional testing service. Each unit represents an additional 30-minute increment.

Is test interpretation included in 96139?

96139 represents technician administration and scoring, not the professional’s interpretation and evaluation of test findings. The evaluation service is reported separately when performed and supported.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 96139PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 12,762 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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