HCPCS code G0443: Alcohol counseling, brief behavioral service2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Wisconsin

G0443 reports a brief, face-to-face counseling service for a patient identified through alcohol misuse screening as needing behavioral guidance.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026One payment locality3K Medicare services in 2024

In Wisconsin, Medicare pays $32.93 for G0443 in the office and $25.25 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

$32.93Office (non-facility)
$25.25Hospital or facility
−4.3%vs the national office rate ($34.40)

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · G0443 nationwide

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

We’ll open G0443 for the payment locality that covers the ZIP.

On this page 11 sections
  1. Rate in Wisconsin
  2. What G0443 covers
  3. Compared with other areas
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Related codes
  8. Rate history
  9. Where it applies
  10. Billing questions
  11. Sources

What G0443 covers

G0443 captures a brief, face-to-face counseling encounter focused on alcohol misuse, generally provided in primary care after a patient screens positive. The clinician discusses the patient’s alcohol use and offers behavioral guidance aimed at reducing risky consumption. This is counseling, not the screening questionnaire or screening conversation alone, and the service is timed for 15 minutes.

Choose G0443 when the documented service is the counseling intervention; use G0442 for the annual alcohol misuse screen itself. Record the screening result, counseling topics and recommendations, and the time spent in the face-to-face service. CMS assigns physician-work, practice-expense, and malpractice relative values, with separate office and facility practice-expense inputs. The claim should reflect counseling actually furnished rather than screening alone.

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.

How Wisconsin compares for G0443

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for G0443 runs from $31.92 in Arkansas to $44.67 in Alaska. Wisconsin pays $32.93. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

G0443 in Wisconsin vs other payment areas
  1. Wisconsin · this page$32.93
  2. Los Angeles, CA · California$37.16+$4.23
  3. Washington, DC area · District of Columbia$37.95+$5.02
  4. Miami, FL · Florida$36.98+$4.05
  5. Chicago, IL · Illinois$36.34+$3.41
  6. Manhattan, NY · New York$38.58+$5.65
  7. Alaska · Alaska$44.67+$11.74

Other areas in Wisconsin first, then benchmark localities. Bars start at $0.

Every other payment area

G0443 in every other Medicare payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaAlabama$32.19$25.18
ArkansasArkansas$31.92$25.03
ArizonaArizona$33.81$26.04
Bakersfield, CACalifornia$35.51$26.73
Chico, CACalifornia$35.37$26.59
El Centro, CACalifornia$35.38$26.60
Fresno, CACalifornia$35.37$26.59
Hanford, CACalifornia$35.37$26.59

G0443 rates by state

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

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.

$31.92

$44.67

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

View every state and territory as a table
G0443 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AK$44.671
AL$32.191
AR$31.921
AZ$33.811
CA$35.37–$41.7529
CO$35.181
CT$36.091
DC$37.951
DE$34.211
FL$34.50–$36.983
GA$33.25–$34.942
GU$35.631
HI$35.631
IA$32.491
ID$32.661
IL$34.02–$36.344
IN$32.771
KS$32.491
KY$32.841
LA$32.85–$33.822
MA$35.14–$37.602
MD$34.65–$37.953
ME$32.86–$33.792
MI$33.44–$34.862
MN$33.841
MO$32.57–$33.783
MS$32.241
MT$34.401
NC$33.051
ND$33.611
NE$32.571
NH$34.771
NJ$36.53–$37.842
NM$33.591
NV$34.191
NY$33.35–$39.295
OH$33.281
OK$32.711
OR$33.95–$35.832
PA$33.26–$35.562
PR$34.531
RI$35.071
SC$33.211
SD$33.521
TN$32.601
TX$33.14–$35.058
UT$33.491
VA$33.79–$37.952
VI$34.531
VT$33.611
WA$35.03–$38.122
WI$32.931
WV$33.271
WY$34.061

See G0443 in every payment locality

How the G0443 rate is calculated

Each of G0443’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 · G0443

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work0.60

0.60 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense0.39

0.39 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.04

0.04 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

1.0300

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$34.40

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

The exact Wisconsin inputs and CMS source lines

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

15,263

Code
G0443
Physician work
0.60
Practice expense
0.39
Malpractice
0.04

GPCI2026.csv

111

Locality
Wisconsin
Physician work
1.000
Practice expense
0.958
Malpractice
0.308
Office calculation for G0443 in Wisconsin
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work0.60× 1.0000.6000
Practice expense0.39× 0.9580.3736
Malpractice0.04× 0.3080.0123
Total RVUs0.9859
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Office rate, Wisconsin$32.93

Office: (0.6 × 1 + 0.39 × 0.958 + 0.04 × 0.308) × $33.4009 = $32.93

Facility: (0.6 × 1 + 0.15 × 0.958 + 0.04 × 0.308) × $33.4009 = $25.25

Open G0443 in the RVU calculator

Payment rules and modifiers for G0443

G0443 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.

Place of service · G0443

Which rate does Medicare pay?

The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).

POS 11 · non-facility rate · national

$34.40

Non-facility (office)
$34.40
Facility
$26.39

Higher because the practice carries its own overhead.

How G0443 has changed in Wisconsin

G0443 · Office / nonfacility

$32.93

Effective 2026-10-01

The base rate is $2.57 higher than on 2025-10-01, moving from $30.36 to $32.93 (8.5%).

It is unchanged from the immediately preceding available release, effective 2026-07-01.

Base rate by release · bars start at $0 · select a bar to compare

One bar per available release, ordered by effective date. Missing rates remain gaps. These comparisons hold the code, setting and locality identifiers constant; they do not isolate which policy or input caused a change.

What changed, release by release
  1. January 1, 2026

    RVU26A

    $30.36changed to$32.93

    • Conversion factor 32.3465 changed to 33.4009
    • Practice expense RVU 0.34 changed to 0.39
    • Practice expense GPCI 0.957 changed to 0.958
    • Malpractice GPCI 0.331 changed to 0.308

    Held through RVU26B, RVU26C, RVU26D.

  2. January 1, 2025

    RVU25A

    $23.91changed to$30.36

    • Conversion factor 33.2875 changed to 32.3465
    • Work RVU 0.45 changed to 0.60
    • Practice expense RVU 0.27 changed to 0.34
    • Malpractice RVU 0.03 changed to 0.04

    Held through RVU25B, RVU25C, RVU25D.

  3. March 9, 2024

    RVU24AR

    $23.52changed to$23.91

    • Conversion factor 32.7442 changed to 33.2875

    Held through RVU24B, RVU24C, RVU24D.

  4. January 1, 2024

    RVU24A

    $24.37changed to$23.52

    • Conversion factor 33.8872 changed to 32.7442
    • Malpractice RVU 0.04 changed to 0.03
    • Practice expense GPCI 0.950 changed to 0.957
    • Malpractice GPCI 0.314 changed to 0.331
  5. January 1, 2023

    RVU23A

    $25.11changed to$24.37

    • Conversion factor 34.6062 changed to 33.8872
    • Practice expense RVU 0.28 changed to 0.27
    • Practice expense GPCI 0.942 changed to 0.950
    • Malpractice GPCI 0.296 changed to 0.314

    Held through RVU23B, RVU23C, RVU23D.

  6. January 1, 2022

    RVU22A

    $25.32changed to$25.11

    • Conversion factor 34.8931 changed to 34.6062

    Held through RVU22B, RVU22C, RVU22D.

  7. January 1, 2021

    RVU21A

    $25.49changed to$25.32

    • Conversion factor 36.0896 changed to 34.8931
    • Practice expense RVU 0.26 changed to 0.28
    • Malpractice RVU 0.03 changed to 0.04
    • Practice expense GPCI 0.949 changed to 0.942
    • Malpractice GPCI 0.322 changed to 0.296

    Held through RVU21B, RVU21C, RVU21D.

  8. January 1, 2020

    RVU20A

    $25.56changed to$25.49

    • Conversion factor 36.0391 changed to 36.0896
    • Practice expense GPCI 0.957 changed to 0.949
    • Malpractice GPCI 0.347 changed to 0.322

    Held through RVU20B, RVU20C, RVU20D.

  9. January 1, 2019

    RVU19A

    $25.19changed to$25.56

    • Conversion factor 35.9996 changed to 36.0391
    • Practice expense RVU 0.25 changed to 0.26

    Held through RVU19B, RVU19C, RVU19D.

  10. January 1, 2018

    RVU18AR1

    $25.22changed to$25.19

    • Conversion factor 35.8887 changed to 35.9996
    • Practice expense GPCI 0.956 changed to 0.957
    • Malpractice GPCI 0.457 changed to 0.347

    Held through RVU18B, RVU18C, RVU18D.

  11. January 1, 2017

    RVU17A

    $25.27changed to$25.22

    • Conversion factor 35.8043 changed to 35.8887
    • Practice expense GPCI 0.955 changed to 0.956
    • Malpractice GPCI 0.566 changed to 0.457

    Held through RVU17B, RVU17C, RVU17D.

  12. January 1, 2016

    RVU16A

    $25.36changed to$25.27

    • Conversion factor 35.9335 changed to 35.8043

    Held through RVU16B, RVU16C, RVU16D.

  13. July 1, 2015

    RVU15C

    $25.23changed to$25.36

    • Conversion factor 35.7547 changed to 35.9335

    Held through RVU15D.

  14. January 1, 2015

    RVU15A

    $24.96changed to$25.23

    • Conversion factor 35.8228 changed to 35.7547
    • Practice expense RVU 0.24 changed to 0.25
    • Practice expense GPCI 0.958 changed to 0.955
    • Malpractice GPCI 0.557 changed to 0.566

    Held through RVU15B.

  15. January 1, 2014

    RVU14A

    $24.69changed to$24.96

    • Conversion factor 34.0230 changed to 35.8228
    • Practice expense RVU 0.27 changed to 0.24
    • Practice expense GPCI 0.960 changed to 0.958
    • Malpractice GPCI 0.547 changed to 0.557

    Held through RVU14B, RVU14C, RVU14D.

  16. October 1, 2013

    RVU13D

    No ratechanged to$24.69

  17. January 1, 2013

    RVU13AR

    Earliest loaded release: No rate

    Held through RVU13B, RVU13C.

Rates in every CMS release
Effective fromOfficeFacilityCMS release
2026-10-01$32.93$25.25RVU26D
2026-07-01$32.93$25.25RVU26C
2026-04-01$32.93$25.25RVU26B
2026-01-01$32.93$25.25RVU26A
2025-10-01$30.36$27.88RVU25D
2025-07-01$30.36$27.88RVU25C
2025-04-01$30.36$27.88RVU25B
2025-01-01$30.36$27.88RVU25A
2024-10-01$23.91$21.36RVU24D
2024-07-01$23.91$21.36RVU24C
2024-04-01$23.91$21.36RVU24B
2024-03-09$23.91$21.36RVU24AR
2024-01-01$23.52$21.01RVU24A
2023-10-01$24.37$21.79RVU23D
2023-07-01$24.37$21.79RVU23C
2023-04-01$24.37$21.79RVU23B
2023-01-01$24.37$21.79RVU23A
2022-10-01$25.11$22.50RVU22D
2022-07-01$25.11$22.50RVU22C
2022-04-01$25.11$22.50RVU22B
2022-01-01$25.11$22.50RVU22A
2021-10-01$25.32$22.69RVU21D
2021-07-01$25.32$22.69RVU21C
2021-04-01$25.32$22.69RVU21B
2021-01-01$25.32$22.69RVU21A
2020-10-01$25.49$23.10RVU20D
2020-07-01$25.49$23.10RVU20C
2020-04-01$25.49$23.10RVU20B
2020-01-01$25.49$23.10RVU20A
2019-10-01$25.56$23.15RVU19D
2019-07-01$25.56$23.15RVU19C
2019-04-01$25.56$23.15RVU19B
2019-01-01$25.56$23.15RVU19A
2018-10-01$25.19$23.12RVU18D
2018-07-01$25.19$23.12RVU18C
2018-04-01$25.19$23.12RVU18B
2018-01-01$25.19$23.12RVU18AR1
2017-10-01$25.22$23.16RVU17D
2017-07-01$25.22$23.16RVU17C
2017-04-01$25.22$23.16RVU17B
2017-01-01$25.22$23.16RVU17A
2016-10-01$25.27$23.22RVU16D
2016-07-01$25.27$23.22RVU16C
2016-04-01$25.27$23.22RVU16B
2016-01-01$25.27$23.22RVU16A
2015-10-01$25.36$23.30RVU15D
2015-07-01$25.36$23.30RVU15C
2015-04-01$25.23$23.18RVU15B
2015-01-01$25.23$23.18RVU15A
2014-10-01$24.96$23.24RVU14D
2014-07-01$24.96$23.24RVU14C
2014-04-01$24.96$23.24RVU14B
2014-01-01$24.96$23.24RVU14A
2013-10-01$24.69$22.40RVU13D
2013-07-01Rate data unavailableRate data unavailableRVU13C
2013-04-01Rate data unavailableRate data unavailableRVU13B
2013-01-01Rate data unavailableRate data unavailableRVU13AR

Price G0443 for an earlier date of service

Where the Wisconsin rate applies

Wisconsin is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 807 cities and communities in Wisconsin. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

  • Abbotsford
  • Abrams
  • Adams
  • Adell
  • Albany
  • Algoma
  • Allens Grove
  • Allenton

Browse all communities in Wisconsin

G0443 billing questions

How is G0443 different from G0442?

G0442 represents the annual alcohol misuse screening. G0443 represents the subsequent brief counseling service when counseling is furnished.

Can G0442 and G0443 be reported for the same visit?

They may describe separate services in the same encounter when screening and counseling are both performed and documented. Do not use G0443 to represent screening alone.

What documentation supports G0443?

Document the positive screening result, the counseling provided, and the face-to-face time. The note should show an intervention addressing the patient’s alcohol use, not merely a screening result.

What time does G0443 represent?

G0443 is a 15-minute counseling service. Document the time spent in the face-to-face counseling encounter.

How does G0443 differ from CPT 99408 or 99409?

G0443 is the Medicare HCPCS code for brief alcohol misuse counseling. CPT 99408 and 99409 describe structured screening and brief intervention services with different time-based criteria.

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 G0443PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 15,263 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for WisconsinGPCI2026.csv, line 111 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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