G0439
Ppps, subseq visit
Annual Wellness Visit, subsequent. The annual Medicare preventive benefit billed in year 2 and beyond, after the initial AWV (G0438). CMS 2026 wRVU 1.92. Once per 12 months per beneficiary; do not bill within 365 days of the prior AWV.
Medicare denies G0439 if billed within 365 days of the prior AWV. Here is how the frequency rule works and how to time AWVs across your panel.
IPPE (G0402), initial AWV (G0438), and subsequent AWV (G0439) are three different Medicare preventive visits. Here is the decision tree and the timing rules.
Billing guidance for G0439 is locked
- When to use it: the exact clinical situations that support billing G0439
- Documentation checklist: the 9 elements your note needs before submitting
- Common pitfalls: the 6 mistakes that get G0439 downcoded or denied
Payer notes
Medicare covers G0439 with no patient cost share when billed as a stand-alone AWV. Medicare Advantage plans generally follow Medicare rules but some MA plans use proprietary G-codes for AWV equivalents; verify with each MA plan. Commercial payers do not pay G0439 (Medicare-only); commercial preventive visits use 99396 or 99397 for established patients (or 99386 or 99387 for new patients). Some MA plans pay incentives to providers who complete AWVs at high rates; check your value-based contracts. The 1.92 wRVU plus the same-day add-on stack (G0444, G0537, 99497, G0136) makes AWV-day workflow one of the highest-yield encounters in primary care.