A4550 — Surgical trays
A4550 is a HCPCS Level II code for surgical trays. It belongs to the Transportation, Medical & Surgical Supplies, Administrative section. Whether Medicare pays it depends on the coverage rule below.
Medicare coverage: Special coverage instructions apply
There are published conditions attached to this code. Check the applicable coverage policy before billing it: the code being valid is not the same as the service being covered.
From the coverage field of the CMS Alpha-Numeric HCPCS File, release 2026Q3-Jul. This states Medicare’s position on the code, not on your particular claim.
Physician fee schedule statusB
Bundled code. Payment is always bundled into another service. CMS: 'If RVUs are shown, they are not used for Medicare payment.'
Global period: XXX
Want the dollar amount for your locality? The fee calculator applies your GPCI and the current conversion factor.
Medically Unlikely Edits — units per day
The most units of A4550 Medicare will pay on one date of service. Bill more on a single line and it is denied. The limit is not the same in every setting, so the row that matters is the one matching the claim you are building.
- practitioner
- 0 — never payable MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · CMS Policy
- outpatient
- 3 units MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Clinical: Data
The adjudication indicator decides whether exceeding the limit is worth appealing at all: MAI 1 is a line edit you can support with documentation, MAI 3 is a date-of-service edit that is also appealable, and MAI 2 is absolute — no documentation overrides it. CMS MUE 2026Q3.
The CMS record for A4550
- Long descriptor
- Surgical trays
- Short descriptor
- Surgical trays
- Added
- January 1, 1982
- BETOS
- Y1
- Pricing indicator
- 11 — Physician fee schedule
The official wording. This is what the code means.
CMS's 28-character form, which is what shows up on a remittance advice.
When CMS introduced the code.
Berenson-Eggers Type of Service — CMS's own analytic grouping.
Price established using national RVUs.
Codes adjacent to A4550
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If A4550 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- A4510Surgical stockings full length, each
- A4520Incontinence garment, any type, (e.g., brief, diaper), each
- A4540Distal transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator, stimulates peripheral nerves of the upper arm
- A4541Monthly supplies for use of device coded at e0733
- A4542Supplies and accessories for external upper limb tremor stimulator of the peripheral nerves of the wrist
- A4543Supplies for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator, for nerves in the auricular region, per month
- A4544Electrode for external lower extremity nerve stimulator for restless legs syndrome
- A4545Supplies and accessories for external tibial nerve stimulator (e.g., socks, gel pads, electrodes, etc.), needed for one month
- A4553Non-disposable underpads, all sizes
- A4554Disposable underpads, all sizes
- A4555Electrode/transducer for use with electrical stimulation device used for cancer treatment, replacement only
- A4556Electrodes, (e.g., apnea monitor), per pair
- A4557Lead wires, (e.g., apnea monitor), per pair
- A4558Conductive gel or paste, for use with electrical device (e.g., tens, nmes), per oz
- A4559Coupling gel or paste, for use with ultrasound device, per oz
- A4560Neuromuscular electrical stimulator (nmes), disposable, replacement only
Questions about A4550
What is HCPCS code A4550?
A4550 is a HCPCS Level II code for surgical trays. It sits in the Transportation, Medical & Surgical Supplies, Administrative section.
Does Medicare cover A4550?
The CMS HCPCS file marks A4550 as "Special coverage instructions apply". There are published conditions attached to this code. Check the applicable coverage policy before billing it: the code being valid is not the same as the service being covered.
How is A4550 paid under the physician fee schedule?
A4550 carries PFS status code B. Bundled code. Payment is always bundled into another service. CMS: 'If RVUs are shown, they are not used for Medicare payment.'