K0738 — Portable gaseous oxygen system, rental; home compressor used to fill portable oxygen cylinders; includes portable containers, regulator, flowmeter, humidifier, cannula or mask, and tubing
K0738 is a HCPCS Level II code for portable gaseous oxygen system, rental; home compressor used to fill portable oxygen cylinders; includes portable containers, regulator, flowmeter, humidifier, cannula or mask, and tubing. 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 K0738 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
- 1 unit MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · 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 K0738
- Long descriptor
- Portable gaseous oxygen system, rental; home compressor used to fill portable oxygen cylinders; includes portable containers, regulator, flowmeter, humidifier, cannula or mask, and tubing
- Short descriptor
- Portable gas oxygen system
- Added
- October 1, 2006
- BETOS
- D1C
- Pricing indicator
- 33 — 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.
Oxygen and oxygen equipment. Price subject to floors and ceilings.
Codes adjacent to K0738
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If K0738 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- K0606Automatic external defibrillator, with integrated electrocardiogram analysis, garment type
- K0607Replacement battery for automated external defibrillator, garment type only, each
- K0608Replacement garment for use with automated external defibrillator, each
- K0609Replacement electrodes for use with automated external defibrillator, garment type only, each
- K0669Wheelchair accessory, wheelchair seat or back cushion, does not meet specific code criteria or no written coding verification from dme pdac
- K0672Addition to lower extremity orthosis, removable soft interface, all components, replacement only, each
- K0730Controlled dose inhalation drug delivery system
- K0733Power wheelchair accessory, 12 to 24 amp hour sealed lead acid battery, each (e.g., gel cell, absorbed glassmat)
- K0739Repair or nonroutine service for durable medical equipment other than oxygen equipment requiring the skill of a technician, labor component, per 15 minutes
- K0740Repair or nonroutine service for oxygen equipment requiring the skill of a technician, labor component, per 15 minutes
- K0743Suction pump, home model, portable, for use on wounds
- K0744Absorptive wound dressing for use with suction pump, home model, portable, pad size 16 square inches or less
- K0745Absorptive wound dressing for use with suction pump, home model, portable, pad size more than 16 square inches but less than or equal to 48 square inches
- K0746Absorptive wound dressing for use with suction pump, home model, portable, pad size greater than 48 square inches
- K0800Power operated vehicle, group 1 standard, patient weight capacity up to and including 300 pounds
- K0801Power operated vehicle, group 1 heavy duty, patient weight capacity 301 to 450 pounds
Questions about K0738
What is HCPCS code K0738?
K0738 is a HCPCS Level II code for portable gaseous oxygen system, rental; home compressor used to fill portable oxygen cylinders; includes portable containers, regulator, flowmeter, humidifier, cannula or mask, and tubing. It sits in the Durable Medical Equipment (DME MAC Temporary) section.
Does Medicare cover K0738?
The CMS HCPCS file marks K0738 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.