Q0138

Q0138 — Injection, ferumoxytol, for treatment of iron deficiency anemia, 1 mg (non-esrd use)

HCPCSActiveBETOS O1E

Q0138 is a HCPCS Level II code for injection, ferumoxytol, for treatment of iron deficiency anemia, 1 mg (non-esrd use). It belongs to the Temporary Codes 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 statusE

Excluded from the physician fee schedule by regulation. Payment, where it exists, comes from another fee schedule (drugs via ASP, supplies via DMEPOS, and so on).

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 Q0138 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: 510 units
outpatient: 510 units

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 Q0138

Long descriptor: Injection, ferumoxytol, for treatment of iron deficiency anemia, 1 mg (non-esrd use)
Short descriptor: Ferumoxytol, non-esrd
Added: January 1, 2010
BETOS: O1E
Pricing indicator: 51 — Other

Codes adjacent to Q0138

HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If Q0138 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.

Q0085Chemotherapy administration by both infusion technique and other technique(s) (e.g., subcutaneous, intramuscular, push), per visit
Q0091Screening papanicolaou smear; obtaining, preparing and conveyance of cervical or vaginal smear to laboratory
Q0092Set-up portable x-ray equipment
Q0111Wet mounts, including preparations of vaginal, cervical or skin specimens
Q0112All potassium hydroxide (koh) preparations
Q0113Pinworm examinations
Q0114Fern test
Q0115Post-coital direct, qualitative examinations of vaginal or cervical mucous
Q0139Injection, ferumoxytol, for treatment of iron deficiency anemia, 1 mg (for esrd on dialysis)
Q0144Azithromycin dihydrate, oral, capsules/powder, 1 gram
Q0155Dronabinol (syndros), 0.1 mg, oral, fda approved prescription anti-emetic, for use as a complete therapeutic substitute for an iv anti-emetic at the time of chemotherapy treatment, not to exceed a 48 hour dosage regimen
Q0161Chlorpromazine hydrochloride, 5 mg, oral, fda approved prescription anti-emetic, for use as a complete therapeutic substitute for an iv anti-emetic at the time of chemotherapy treatment, not to exceed a 48 hour dosage regimen
Q0162Ondansetron 1 mg, oral, fda approved prescription anti-emetic, for use as a complete therapeutic substitute for an iv anti-emetic at the time of chemotherapy treatment, not to exceed a 48 hour dosage regimen
Q0163Diphenhydramine hydrochloride, 50 mg, oral, fda approved prescription anti-emetic, for use as a complete therapeutic substitute for an iv anti-emetic at time of chemotherapy treatment not to exceed a 48 hour dosage regimen
Q0164Prochlorperazine maleate, 5 mg, oral, fda approved prescription anti-emetic, for use as a complete therapeutic substitute for an iv anti-emetic at the time of chemotherapy treatment, not to exceed a 48 hour dosage regimen
Q0166Granisetron hydrochloride, 1 mg, oral, fda approved prescription anti-emetic, for use as a complete therapeutic substitute for an iv anti-emetic at the time of chemotherapy treatment, not to exceed a 24 hour dosage regimen

Questions about Q0138

What is HCPCS code Q0138?

Q0138 is a HCPCS Level II code for injection, ferumoxytol, for treatment of iron deficiency anemia, 1 mg (non-esrd use). It sits in the Temporary Codes section.

Does Medicare cover Q0138?

The CMS HCPCS file marks Q0138 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 Q0138 paid under the physician fee schedule?

Q0138 carries PFS status code E. Excluded from the physician fee schedule by regulation. Payment, where it exists, comes from another fee schedule (drugs via ASP, supplies via DMEPOS, and so on).