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CPT code 96171: Family intervention, without patient, each 15 minutes2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Additional time for a clinician’s health behavior intervention with a patient’s family or caregivers when the patient is not present.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare rate · 96171

Family intervention, without patient, each 15 minutes

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
0.54
Total RVUs
0.69
Global days
ZZZ

National rate · 2026

—

Not priced in the facility setting.

See every locality for 96171 →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 96171 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 96171 covers

A clinician uses this service for additional time spent working with a patient’s family or caregivers, without the patient present, on behavioral and psychosocial factors that affect the patient’s physical health. The intervention may address barriers such as difficulty following a treatment plan or managing a health condition. It is distinct from family psychotherapy and from an intervention delivered with the patient present. The family-only format is the key distinction from related health behavior intervention codes.

This is an add-on for the initial family intervention code, 96170, and represents each additional 15 minutes. Report it with the corresponding initial service when the additional intervention time is documented. Medicare lists this service as not covered (status N).

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 96171 pays more and less

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

109 of 109 payment localities

96171 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailableUnavailable
AlaskaUnavailableUnavailable
ArizonaUnavailableUnavailable
ArkansasUnavailableUnavailable
Atlanta, GAUnavailableUnavailable
Austin, TXUnavailableUnavailable
Bakersfield, CAUnavailableUnavailable
Baltimore area, MDUnavailableUnavailable
Beaumont, TXUnavailableUnavailable
Brazoria, TXUnavailableUnavailable

96171 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.

View every state and territory as a table
96171 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 96171 rate is calculated

Each of 96171’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 · 96171

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work0.54

0.54 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense0.24

0.24 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.03

0.03 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

0.8100

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$27.05

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 96171

The CMS indicators that decide how 96171 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 96171

Family intervention, without patient, each 15 minutes

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global periodZZZAdd-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period.
Multiple procedures9The concept doesn’t apply.
Bilateral (modifier 50)9The concept doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)9The concept doesn’t apply.
Co-surgeons (62)9The concept doesn’t apply.
Team surgery (66)9The concept doesn’t apply.
Professional/technical9The concept doesn’t apply.

96171 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 96171

    Family intervention, without patient, each 15 minutes0.54 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 96170

    Family intervention, patient absent1.5 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 96168

    Family intervention, each additional 15 minutes0.63 wRVU

    $28.39

  • 96159

    Health behavior intervention, individual, additional time0.57 wRVU

    $25.38

  • 90846

    Family psychotherapy, patient absent, 50 minutes2.74 wRVU

    $105.88

How to choose

96170Family interventionPatient absent
96170 represents the initial family health behavior intervention without the patient; 96171 represents each additional 15 minutes.
96168Family interventionEach additional 15 minutes
96168 is for additional family-intervention time when the patient is present. 96171 is for additional time with the patient absent.
96159Health behavior interventionIndividual, additional time
96159 represents additional individual health behavior intervention time; 96171 is for a family intervention without the patient.
90846Family psychotherapyPatient absent, 50 minutes
90846 is family psychotherapy without the patient. 96171 concerns health behavior intervention addressing factors that affect physical health.

Codes related to 96171

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

Codes related to 96171
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Primary code
96170Family intervention, patient absentInitial family health behavior intervention without the patient; 96171 represents additional time.No office rate
Same family
96168Family intervention, each additional 15 minutesAdditional-time family intervention code for a session with the patient present.$27.24–$39.22
96167Family intervention, patient present, initial 30 minutesInitial family health behavior intervention code for a session with the patient present.$75.36–$108.78
Used instead
96159Health behavior intervention, individual, additional timeAdditional-time health behavior intervention delivered individually rather than to family.$24.49–$35.32

96171 billing questions

When should I use 96171 rather than 96170?

Use 96170 for the initial family health behavior intervention without the patient. Use 96171 for each additional 15 minutes of that intervention.

Does the patient attend the session?

No. The intervention represented by this code is with family members or caregivers while the patient is absent. Use 96167 for a family intervention with the patient present.

Can I report 96171 by itself?

No. It is an add-on code for additional time and is reported with the initial family intervention code, 96170.

What should the record support?

Document that the patient was absent, who participated, the health-related behavioral focus, the intervention provided, and the additional time represented by the code.

Does Medicare cover 96171?

No. Medicare status N identifies this service as not covered.

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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