CPT code 96171: Family intervention, without patient, each 15 minutes2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Additional time for a clinician’s health behavior intervention with a patient’s family or caregivers when the patient is not present.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 96171 in Missouri.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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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 in Missouri
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Kansas City, MO | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Rest of Missouri | Unavailable | Unavailable |
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
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
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 9 | The concept doesn’t apply. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 9 | The concept doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 9 | The concept doesn’t apply. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 9 | The concept doesn’t apply. |
| Team surgery (66) | 9 | The concept doesn’t apply. |
| Professional/technical | 9 | The concept doesn’t apply. |
96171 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
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.
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
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