Measurement of parathyroid hormone in blood, used to evaluate calcium disorders, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and metabolic causes of bone loss or fracture.
- Medicare
- $0.00
- Work RVU
- 0
- Global, days
- Region
- General
Documentation requirements
What must appear in the operative or office note to support the claim.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in 3 cited references ↓
- Fracture details showing low-energy mechanism, or nonunion history
- Calcium and vitamin D results or orders
- Diagnosis such as osteoporosis with pathological fracture or hypercalcemia
- Plan for bone health treatment or referral
- Lab report with PTH result
Applicable modifiers
Modifiers commonly billed with this code.
Source · AMA CPT modifier descriptors · CMS NCCI Policy Manual
What this code covers
Source · Editorial summary grounded in 3 cited references ↓
Fracture liaison clinics order a parathyroid hormone level (83970) more than almost any other ortho setting. When a patient comes in with a low-energy hip, wrist, or vertebral fracture, many programs check calcium, vitamin D, and PTH to rule out hyperparathyroidism before starting osteoporosis treatment. It also shows up in nonunion workups and in patients with unexplained high calcium.
The diagnosis carries the claim. Link osteoporosis with current pathological fracture, hypercalcemia, vitamin D deficiency, or chronic kidney disease if present. A routine follow-up code will not support it.
PTH is commonly ordered with calcium on the same draw. Calcium is billed separately unless it is part of a panel the lab ran. Intraoperative PTH during parathyroid surgery uses the same code with repeated draws, but that is a surgical oncology scenario, not an ortho one.
RVU & reimbursement
Component RVUs and Medicare national rate. Actual payment varies by GPCI locality.
Source · CMS Physician Fee Schedule, RVU26A · January 2026
| Work RVU | 0 |
| Practice expense RVU | 0 |
| Malpractice RVU | 0 |
| Total RVU | 0 |
| Medicare national rate | $0.00 |
| Global period | days |
Payment by site of service
Medicare pays different rates by setting. HOPD typically pays substantially more than ASC for the same procedure.
Source · CMS OPPS Addendum B·ASC HCPCS payment rates·2026
| Setting | Medicare rate (national) |
|---|---|
Office (PFS non-facility) Procedure performed in physician's office | $0.00 |
Common denial reasons
The recurring reasons claims for CPT 83970 get rejected.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓
- Only an aftercare or follow-up diagnosis linked
- No documented calcium abnormality or metabolic bone concern
- Frequency beyond payer policy
- Ordered by ortho and endocrine on overlapping dates
- Reference lab already billed
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 3 cited references ↓
01Why check PTH after a fragility fracture?
02What diagnosis supports 83970 in an ortho clinic?
03Is calcium included in 83970?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources.
Mira Scribe
Mira Scribe documents the fracture mechanism and the bone health plan, giving the PTH order a metabolic bone diagnosis to stand on.
See how Mira captures CPT 83970 documentation