A6536 — Gradient compression stocking, full length/chap style, 18-30 mmhg, each
A6536 is a HCPCS Level II code for gradient compression stocking, full length/chap style, 18-30 mmhg, each. It belongs to the Transportation, Medical & Surgical Supplies, Administrative section. Whether Medicare pays it depends on the coverage rule below.
Medicare coverage: Carrier judgment
Coverage is decided by your Medicare contractor, not by national policy. Whether this is paid depends on the LCD for your jurisdiction and on what the documentation supports.
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 A6536 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.
- DME supplier
- 6 units MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · CMS 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 A6536
- Long descriptor
- Gradient compression stocking, full length/chap style, 18-30 mmhg, each
- Short descriptor
- Gc stocking full lngth 18-30
- Added
- January 1, 2006
- BETOS
- O1L
- Pricing indicator
- 40 — 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.
Lymphedema compression treatment items, effective 1 January 2024.
Codes adjacent to A6536
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If A6536 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- A6528Gradient compression garment, bra, for nighttime use, each
- A6529Gradient compression garment, bra, for nighttime use, custom, each
- A6530Gradient compression stocking, below knee, 18-30 mmhg, each
- A6531Gradient compression stocking, below knee, 30-40 mmhg, used as a surgical dressing, each
- A6532Gradient compression stocking, below knee, 40-50 mmhg, used as a surgical dressing, each
- A6533Gradient compression stocking, thigh length, 18-30 mmhg, each
- A6534Gradient compression stocking, thigh length, 30-40 mmhg, each
- A6535Gradient compression stocking, thigh length, 40 mmhg or greater, each
- A6537Gradient compression stocking, full length/chap style, 30-40 mmhg, each
- A6538Gradient compression stocking, full length/chap style, 40 mmhg or greater, each
- A6539Gradient compression stocking, waist length, 18-30 mmhg, each
- A6540Gradient compression stocking, waist length, 30-40 mmhg, each
- A6541Gradient compression stocking, waist length, 40 mmhg or greater, each
- A6544Gradient compression stocking, garter belt
- A6545Gradient compression wrap, non-elastic, below knee, 30-50 mmhg, used as a surgical dressing, each
- A6548Accessory to custom gradient compression garment, silicone band, any size
Questions about A6536
What is HCPCS code A6536?
A6536 is a HCPCS Level II code for gradient compression stocking, full length/chap style, 18-30 mmhg, each. It sits in the Transportation, Medical & Surgical Supplies, Administrative section.
Does Medicare cover A6536?
The CMS HCPCS file marks A6536 as "Carrier judgment". Coverage is decided by your Medicare contractor, not by national policy. Whether this is paid depends on the LCD for your jurisdiction and on what the documentation supports.
How is A6536 paid under the physician fee schedule?
A6536 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.