Measurement of plasma renin activity or concentration, used to investigate secondary causes of high blood pressure and adrenal disorders.
- 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 2 cited references ↓
- Hypertension or adrenal diagnosis prompting the test
- Current antihypertensive medications
- Ordering clinician and their role in clearance
- Aldosterone order if drawn together
- Lab report with renin 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 2 cited references ↓
Renin is an endocrine and hypertension test, and orthopedic surgeons almost never order it, but 84244 still shows up near their patients. There are two usual routes: preoperative medical clearance for a patient with uncontrolled hypertension, where an internist or hospitalist orders it, or a co-managed spine or joint patient whose clearance is delayed while a secondary hypertension workup runs.
If your practice employs hospitalists or a perioperative medicine group, they may bill it. The diagnosis needs to be the hypertension or adrenal concern, not the orthopedic condition. Linking renin to knee osteoarthritis will deny.
Renin is usually drawn with aldosterone, which is billed separately. Many antihypertensive drugs change the result, and labs often reject or flag samples drawn without the right prep. A redraw on a later date is a new test, not a 91 repeat.
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 84244 get rejected.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓
- Orthopedic diagnosis linked instead of hypertension
- Ordered as part of routine pre-op labs without indication
- Billed by ortho when the medical group already billed
- Frequency exceeds payer policy
- Specimen rejected and test billed anyway
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 2 cited references ↓
01Would an orthopedic surgeon bill 84244?
02Is aldosterone included with renin?
03What diagnosis supports a renin test?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources.
- 01CMS Physician Fee Schedule 2026
- 02cms.govhttps://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/fee-schedules/clinical-laboratory-fee-schedule-clfs
Mira Scribe
Mira Scribe notes when surgical clearance is pending a medical workup, so the surgical team's notes stay clear about who ordered what.
See how Mira captures CPT 84244 documentation