Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts MNT coverage: codes and referrals
The short answerBCBSMA's public preventive billing guideline lists 97802 to 97804, G0270, G0271 and S9470 for diet counseling in adults who are overweight or obese with cardiovascular risk factors, and for obesity counseling. Its authorization table lists no authorization for nutritional counseling; commercial HMO/POS members need authorization for out-of-network care. No diagnostic MNT policy was found.
By Javier Alvarez · Updated · 1 min read
1 row: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Public policy, not the member's benefits.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
ACA Preventive Care Services Billing Guideline (Feb. 2025) and authorization table (July 2026) · Massachusetts
| 97802 | Limited (listed as preventive coded services (ACA billing guideline). Diagnostic MNT is not addressed in the public documents found.) [1] |
|---|---|
| 97803 | Limited (listed as preventive coded services (ACA billing guideline). Diagnostic MNT is not addressed in the public documents found.) [1] |
| G0270 | Limited (listed as preventive coded services (ACA billing guideline). Diagnostic MNT is not addressed in the public documents found.) [1] |
| G0271 | Limited (listed as preventive coded services (ACA billing guideline). Diagnostic MNT is not addressed in the public documents found.) [1] |
| Where it applies | ACA preventive services for non-grandfathered plans, current as of February 2025. The authorization table is current as of July 2026 and covers several products. [1][2] |
| Diagnoses | Diet and physical activity counseling to prevent cardiovascular disease: adults who are overweight or obese and have additional cardiovascular risk factors and/or abnormal blood glucose. Obesity screening and counseling: children, adolescents and adults. [1] |
| Other codes | 97804 and S9470 are in the same rows. The obesity row also lists S9482. [1] |
| Telehealth POS | Not published: call the payer. |
| Telehealth modifier | Not published: call the payer. |
| Visit limits | Not published: call the payer. |
| Referral and prior auth | The authorization table (rev. 07/26) lists Nutritional Counseling as not requiring authorization for any listed product. For Commercial HMO/POS members, authorization is required for out-of-network care (Out-of-Network Request Form). [2] |
| Payment | Members pay no additional cost for listed codes from in-network providers. Preventive, screening and counseling diagnosis codes should be billed in the primary position because benefits are based on the primary diagnosis. [1] |
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Preventive Care Services Billing Guideline (current as of February 2025), checked October 30, 2026
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts: Authorization requirements by product (current as of July 2026), checked October 30, 2026
Check a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts claim against the row
Before a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts claim goes out, compare it with the row above: the code is one the policy lists, the place of service and modifier match for a video visit, and the units fit the limit. Change the filters to compare Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts with another payer, then download the PDF of what you see.