HCPCS code G0445: STI prevention counseling2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Georgia
Report G0445 for an individual, face-to-face behavioral counseling session focused on reducing sexually transmitted infection risk in a sexually active person at increased risk.
Medicare pays $33.25–$34.94 for G0445 in the office in Georgia, from Rest Of Georgia to Atlanta. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What G0445 covers
G0445 describes an individual, face-to-face counseling session focused on preventing sexually transmitted infections. A primary care physician or other qualified primary care practitioner may counsel a sexually active adolescent or adult who is at increased risk. The discussion can address practical risk-reduction strategies, such as safer-sex practices, condom use, testing, and communication with partners. The service is preventive counseling, not an STI diagnostic test or treatment visit.
Report the code when the documented service meets the individual counseling format and 30-minute service description. Record the patient’s increased-risk basis, the prevention topics addressed, and the face-to-face counseling time. The note should distinguish this STI-focused counseling from screening or counseling for alcohol misuse, cardiovascular risk, or obesity if those services are also documented. The CMS facts supplied for this code list no add-on, global-period, component, or reduction rule to explain.
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 G0445 pays more and less in Georgia
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | $34.94 | $27.13 |
| Rest Of Georgia | $33.25 | $26.40 |
How the G0445 rate is calculated
Each of G0445’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 · G0445
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
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.
Payment rules and modifiers for G0445
G0445 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 · G0445
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
- $26.72
Higher because the practice carries its own overhead.
G0445 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- G0442Alcohol screening
- G0442 is an alcohol misuse screening service. Choose G0445 for individual counseling focused on reducing STI risk.
- G0443Alcohol counseling
- G0443 is brief counseling for alcohol misuse; G0445 addresses STI prevention in a sexually active person at increased risk.
- G0446Cardiovascular counseling
- G0446 focuses on behavioral counseling to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. G0445 focuses on preventing sexually transmitted infections.
- G0447Obesity counseling
- G0447 is behavioral counseling for obesity, whereas G0445 is individual counseling focused on STI risk reduction.
G0445 billing questions
Who is the counseling intended for?
It is for a sexually active adolescent or adult at increased risk for sexually transmitted infections. Document the basis for the increased-risk assessment and the prevention counseling provided.
How is G0445 different from G0442 or G0443?
G0445 addresses prevention of sexually transmitted infections. G0442 is alcohol misuse screening, while G0443 is counseling for alcohol misuse.
Can G0445 be reported for group counseling?
No. The service described by G0445 is individual, face-to-face counseling.
What time should the documentation support?
Document the face-to-face time for the 30-minute counseling service, along with the STI prevention topics discussed.
Does a positive STI test qualify the patient for this counseling code?
A positive test alone does not establish the code’s increased-risk counseling criteria. G0445 represents preventive risk-reduction counseling, rather than STI testing or treatment.
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
Fee sheets
Put G0445 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →