A9554 — Iodine i-125 sodium iothalamate, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 10 microcuries
A9554 is a HCPCS Level II code for iodine i-125 sodium iothalamate, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 10 microcuries. 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 statusC
Contractor-priced. Your MAC establishes the RVUs and the payment amount case by case, usually after reviewing documentation. There is no national amount to compute.
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 A9554 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
- 1 unit MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction
- outpatient
- 1 unit MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction
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 A9554
- Long descriptor
- Iodine i-125 sodium iothalamate, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 10 microcuries
- Short descriptor
- I125 iothalamate, dx
- Added
- January 1, 2006
- BETOS
- I1E
- Pricing indicator
- 53 — Other
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.
Statute.
Codes adjacent to A9554
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If A9554 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- A9545Iodine i-131 tositumomab, therapeutic, per treatment doseterminated
- A9546Cobalt co-57/58, cyanocobalamin, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 1 microcurie
- A9547Indium in-111 oxyquinoline, diagnostic, per 0.5 millicurie
- A9548Indium in-111 pentetate, diagnostic, per 0.5 millicurie
- A9550Technetium tc-99m sodium gluceptate, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 25 millicurie
- A9551Technetium tc-99m succimer, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 10 millicuries
- A9552Fluorodeoxyglucose f-18 fdg, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 45 millicuries
- A9553Chromium cr-51 sodium chromate, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 250 microcuries
- A9555Rubidium rb-82, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 60 millicuries
- A9556Gallium ga-67 citrate, diagnostic, per millicurie
- A9557Technetium tc-99m bicisate, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 25 millicuries
- A9558Xenon xe-133 gas, diagnostic, per 10 millicuries
- A9559Cobalt co-57 cyanocobalamin, oral, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 1 microcurie
- A9560Technetium tc-99m labeled red blood cells, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 30 millicuries
- A9561Technetium tc-99m oxidronate, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 30 millicuries
- A9562Technetium tc-99m mertiatide, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 15 millicuries
Questions about A9554
What is HCPCS code A9554?
A9554 is a HCPCS Level II code for iodine i-125 sodium iothalamate, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 10 microcuries. It sits in the Transportation, Medical & Surgical Supplies, Administrative section.
Does Medicare cover A9554?
The CMS HCPCS file marks A9554 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 A9554 paid under the physician fee schedule?
A9554 carries PFS status code C. Contractor-priced. Your MAC establishes the RVUs and the payment amount case by case, usually after reviewing documentation. There is no national amount to compute.