HCPCS code A9517: I-131 capsule, therapeutic, per millicurie2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What A9517 covers

This code represents therapeutic sodium iodide containing iodine I-131 supplied as an oral capsule. Radioiodine treatment is used for conditions such as hyperthyroidism and differentiated thyroid cancer. Nuclear medicine or other clinicians directing radioiodine therapy typically arrange and document the administered activity; the capsule is given in a treatment setting, often as an outpatient service. The capsule formulation is distinct from therapeutic iodine I-131 supplied as a liquid and from diagnostic iodine products.

Medicare assigns physician fee schedule status C, meaning the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) sets payment for each claim rather than CMS publishing a national physician fee schedule payment. HCPCS pricing also assigns other contractor pricing, and coverage is left to the MAC’s judgment. Report the drug by administered activity: one unit represents one millicurie. The clinical record should support the iodine I-131 product and the activity administered. Oral radiopharmaceutical therapy may be reported with CPT 79005 for the administration service.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where A9517 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

A9517 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

How the A9517 rate is calculated

Each of A9517’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for A9517

A9517 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.

A9517 compared with similar codes

How to choose

A9530Iodine-131 solutionTherapeutic, per millicurie

Both represent therapeutic iodine I-131 sodium iodide, but A9517 is the capsule form and A9530 is the solution form.

A9528Iodine-131 capsuleDiagnostic, per millicurie

A9528 represents diagnostic iodine I-131 capsules; A9517 is for therapeutic capsules.

A9529I-131 sodium iodideDiagnostic solution, per mCi

A9529 is diagnostic iodine I-131 sodium iodide in solution. A9517 is therapeutic iodine I-131 sodium iodide in capsule form.

A9516Iodine-123 sodium iodidePer 100 microcuries

A9516 represents iodine I-123 sodium iodide used diagnostically; A9517 is iodine I-131 sodium iodide for therapy.

Codes related to A9517

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates