A5056 — Ostomy pouch, drainable, with extended wear barrier attached, with filter, (1 piece), each
A5056 is a HCPCS Level II code for ostomy pouch, drainable, with extended wear barrier attached, with filter, (1 piece), each. 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 statusX
Statutory exclusion. The item or service is not within the statutory definition of 'physician services', so the fee schedule never pays it.
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 A5056 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
- 90 units MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Clinical: Data
- outpatient
- 90 units MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Clinical: Data
- DME supplier
- 120 units MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Published Contractor Policy
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 A5056
- Long descriptor
- Ostomy pouch, drainable, with extended wear barrier attached, with filter, (1 piece), each
- Short descriptor
- 1 pc ost pouch w filter
- Added
- January 1, 2012
- BETOS
- D1F
- Pricing indicator
- 37 — DMEPOS
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.
Ostomy, tracheostomy and urological supplies. Price subject to floors and ceilings.
Codes adjacent to A5056
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If A5056 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- A4930Gloves, sterile, per pair
- A4931Oral thermometer, reusable, any type, each
- A4932Rectal thermometer, reusable, any type, each
- A5051Ostomy pouch, closed; with barrier attached (1 piece), each
- A5052Ostomy pouch, closed; without barrier attached (1 piece), each
- A5053Ostomy pouch, closed; for use on faceplate, each
- A5054Ostomy pouch, closed; for use on barrier with flange (2 piece), each
- A5055Stoma cap
- A5057Ostomy pouch, drainable, with extended wear barrier attached, with built in convexity, with filter, (1 piece), each
- A5061Ostomy pouch, drainable; with barrier attached, (1 piece), each
- A5062Ostomy pouch, drainable; without barrier attached (1 piece), each
- A5063Ostomy pouch, drainable; for use on barrier with flange (2 piece system), each
- A5071Ostomy pouch, urinary; with barrier attached (1 piece), each
- A5072Ostomy pouch, urinary; without barrier attached (1 piece), each
- A5073Ostomy pouch, urinary; for use on barrier with flange (2 piece), each
- A5081Stoma plug or seal, any type
Questions about A5056
What is HCPCS code A5056?
A5056 is a HCPCS Level II code for ostomy pouch, drainable, with extended wear barrier attached, with filter, (1 piece), each. It sits in the Transportation, Medical & Surgical Supplies, Administrative section.
Does Medicare cover A5056?
The CMS HCPCS file marks A5056 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 A5056 paid under the physician fee schedule?
A5056 carries PFS status code X. Statutory exclusion. The item or service is not within the statutory definition of 'physician services', so the fee schedule never pays it.