K0018 — Detachable, adjustable height armrest, upper portion, replacement only, each
K0018 is a HCPCS Level II code for detachable, adjustable height armrest, upper portion, replacement only, each. It belongs to the Durable Medical Equipment (DME MAC Temporary) 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.
Medically Unlikely Edits — units per day
The most units of K0018 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
- 0 — never payable MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · CMS Policy
- DME supplier
- 2 units MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · Anatomic Consideration
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 K0018
- Long descriptor
- Detachable, adjustable height armrest, upper portion, replacement only, each
- Short descriptor
- Detach adjust armrst upper
- Added
- January 1, 1994
- BETOS
- D1D
- Pricing indicator
- 32 — 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.
Inexpensive and routinely purchased DME. Price subject to floors and ceilings.
Codes adjacent to K0018
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If K0018 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- K0009Other manual wheelchair/base
- K0010Standard - weight frame motorized/power wheelchair
- K0011Standard - weight frame motorized/power wheelchair with programmable control parameters for speed adjustment, tremor dampening, acceleration control and braking
- K0012Lightweight portable motorized/power wheelchair
- K0013Custom motorized/power wheelchair base
- K0014Other motorized/power wheelchair base
- K0015Detachable, non-adjustable height armrest, replacement only, each
- K0017Detachable, adjustable height armrest, base, replacement only, each
- K0019Arm pad, replacement only, each
- K0020Fixed, adjustable height armrest, pair
- K0037High mount flip-up footrest, each
- K0038Leg strap, each
- K0039Leg strap, h style, each
- K0040Adjustable angle footplate, each
- K0041Large size footplate, each
- K0042Standard size footplate, replacement only, each
Questions about K0018
What is HCPCS code K0018?
K0018 is a HCPCS Level II code for detachable, adjustable height armrest, upper portion, replacement only, each. It sits in the Durable Medical Equipment (DME MAC Temporary) section.
Does Medicare cover K0018?
The CMS HCPCS file marks K0018 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.