J8521 — Capecitabine, oral, 500 mg
J8521 is a HCPCS Level II code for capecitabine, oral, 500 mg. It belongs to the Drugs Administered Other Than Oral Method section. It was terminated on September 30, 2024 and is not valid on new claims.
This code has been terminated
CMS terminated J8521 on September 30, 2024. It stays in the file as history — a claim you are auditing from before that date may legitimately carry it — but it must not appear on a new claim. The adjacent codes below are the usual place to look for its replacement.
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.
The CMS record for J8521
- Long descriptor
- Capecitabine, oral, 500 mg
- Short descriptor
- Capecitabine, oral, 500 mg
- Added
- January 1, 2000
- Terminated
- September 30, 2024
- BETOS
- O1D
- Pricing indicator
- 51 — 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.
When CMS retired it.
Berenson-Eggers Type of Service — CMS's own analytic grouping.
Drugs.
Codes adjacent to J8521
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If J8521 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- J7999Compounded drug, not otherwise classified
- J8498Antiemetic drug, rectal/suppository, not otherwise specified
- J8499Prescription drug, oral, non chemotherapeutic, nos
- J8501Aprepitant, oral, 5 mg
- J8502Injection, aprepitant (aponvie), 1 mg
- J8510Busulfan; oral, 2 mg
- J8515Cabergoline, oral, 0.25 mg
- J8520Capecitabine, oral, 150 mgterminated
- J8522Capecitabine, oral, 50 mg
- J8530Cyclophosphamide; oral, 25 mg
- J8540Dexamethasone, oral, 0.25 mg
- J8541Dexamethasone (hemady), oral, 0.25 mg
- J8560Etoposide; oral, 50 mg
- J8562Fludarabine phosphate, oral, 10 mgterminated
- J8565Gefitinib, oral, 250 mg
- J8597Antiemetic drug, oral, not otherwise specified
Questions about J8521
What is HCPCS code J8521?
J8521 is a HCPCS Level II code for capecitabine, oral, 500 mg. It sits in the Drugs Administered Other Than Oral Method section.
Does Medicare cover J8521?
The CMS HCPCS file marks J8521 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.
Is J8521 still valid?
No. J8521 was terminated on September 30, 2024 and should not be used on new claims.