Q9957

Q9957 — Injection, perflutren lipid microspheres, per ml

HCPCSActiveBETOS I1F

Q9957 is a HCPCS Level II code for injection, perflutren lipid microspheres, per ml. 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 Q9957 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: 3 units
outpatient: 3 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 Q9957

Long descriptor: Injection, perflutren lipid microspheres, per ml
Short descriptor: Inj perflutren lip micros,ml
Added: April 1, 2005
BETOS: I1F
Pricing indicator: 57 — Other

Codes adjacent to Q9957

HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If Q9957 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.

Q9003Counseling, group, by chaplain services
Q9004Department of veterans affairs whole health partner services
Q9950Injection, sulfur hexafluoride lipid microspheres, per ml
Q9951Low osmolar contrast material, 400 or greater mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml
Q9953Injection, iron-based magnetic resonance contrast agent, per ml
Q9954Oral magnetic resonance contrast agent, per 100 ml
Q9955Injection, perflexane lipid microspheres, per ml
Q9956Injection, octafluoropropane microspheres, per ml
Q9958High osmolar contrast material, up to 149 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml
Q9959High osmolar contrast material, 150-199 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml
Q9960High osmolar contrast material, 200-249 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml
Q9961High osmolar contrast material, 250-299 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml
Q9962High osmolar contrast material, 300-349 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml
Q9963High osmolar contrast material, 350-399 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml
Q9964High osmolar contrast material, 400 or greater mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml
Q9965Low osmolar contrast material, 100-199 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml

Questions about Q9957

What is HCPCS code Q9957?

Q9957 is a HCPCS Level II code for injection, perflutren lipid microspheres, per ml. It sits in the Temporary Codes section.

Does Medicare cover Q9957?

The CMS HCPCS file marks Q9957 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 Q9957 paid under the physician fee schedule?

Q9957 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).