S5150 — Unskilled respite care, not hospice; per 15 minutes
S5150 is a HCPCS Level II code for unskilled respite care, not hospice; per 15 minutes. It belongs to the Temporary National Codes (Non-Medicare) section. Medicare does not pay it — see the coverage note below before you bill it.
Medicare coverage: Not payable by Medicare
Medicare does not pay this code. It may still be valid for another payer, but a Medicare claim carrying it will not be reimbursed.
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 statusI
Not valid for Medicare purposes. Medicare uses another code.
Global period: XXX
Want the dollar amount for your locality? The fee calculator applies your GPCI and the current conversion factor.
The CMS record for S5150
- Long descriptor
- Unskilled respite care, not hospice; per 15 minutes
- Short descriptor
- Unskilled respite care /15m
- Added
- January 1, 2003
- BETOS
- Z2
- Pricing indicator
- 00 — Not priced by Part B
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.
Service not separately priced by Part B — not covered, bundled into another service, or used by Part A only.
Codes adjacent to S5150
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If S5150 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- S5130Homemaker service, nos; per 15 minutes
- S5131Homemaker service, nos; per diem
- S5135Companion care, adult (e.g., iadl/adl); per 15 minutes
- S5136Companion care, adult (e.g., iadl/adl); per diem
- S5140Foster care, adult; per diem
- S5141Foster care, adult; per month
- S5145Foster care, therapeutic, child; per diem
- S5146Foster care, therapeutic, child; per month
- S5151Unskilled respite care, not hospice; per diem
- S5160Emergency response system; installation and testing
- S5161Emergency response system; service fee, per month (excludes installation and testing)
- S5162Emergency response system; purchase only
- S5165Home modifications; per service
- S5170Home delivered meals, including preparation; per meal
- S5175Laundry service, external, professional; per order
- S5180Home health respiratory therapy, initial evaluation
Questions about S5150
What is HCPCS code S5150?
S5150 is a HCPCS Level II code for unskilled respite care, not hospice; per 15 minutes. It sits in the Temporary National Codes (Non-Medicare) section.
Does Medicare cover S5150?
The CMS HCPCS file marks S5150 as "Not payable by Medicare". Medicare does not pay this code. It may still be valid for another payer, but a Medicare claim carrying it will not be reimbursed.
How is S5150 paid under the physician fee schedule?
S5150 carries PFS status code I. Not valid for Medicare purposes. Medicare uses another code.