HCPCS code A9526: Nitrogen-13 ammonia, per study dose, up to 40 mCi2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Nitrogen-13 ammonia is an intravenous PET tracer for myocardial perfusion studies, reported per study dose for cardiac imaging.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for A9526 in Florida.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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What A9526 covers
Nitrogen-13 ammonia is a radioactive imaging agent administered intravenously for PET assessment of myocardial perfusion. Nuclear medicine and cardiac imaging teams use it in cardiac PET studies, including protocols that assess blood flow at rest or with stress. The tracer identifies the radiopharmaceutical supplied for the study; the PET acquisition and interpretation are represented by the applicable imaging service code.
A9526 represents one study dose of up to 40 millicuries, rather than a unit for each millicurie. Its physician fee schedule status is carrier priced: CMS publishes no national payment amount, and the Medicare Administrative Contractor sets payment for each claim. The HCPCS pricing method is payment set by statute, and coverage is left to the Medicare contractor’s judgment.
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 A9526 pays more and less in Florida
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Miami, FL | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Rest of Florida | Unavailable | Unavailable |
How the A9526 rate is calculated
Each of A9526’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.
How the rate is built · A9526
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.0000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$0.00
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for A9526
A9526 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.
Place of service · A9526
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
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A9526 isn’t priced in this setting.
A9526 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- A9555Rubidium-82Per study dose, up to 60 mCi
- A9526 identifies nitrogen-13 ammonia; A9555 identifies rubidium-82. Both may be used as tracers for cardiac PET perfusion imaging.
- 78430Myocardial PETRest and stress with CT
- A9526 reports the radiopharmaceutical. Code 78430 represents a single-study PET myocardial perfusion imaging service.
- 78431Cardiac PETRest and stress with CT
- A9526 reports the radiopharmaceutical. Code 78431 represents a multiple-study PET myocardial perfusion imaging service.
A9526 billing questions
What does one unit of A9526 represent?
One unit represents a study dose of nitrogen-13 ammonia up to 40 millicuries. The unit is not counted per millicurie.
How does A9526 differ from A9555?
Both are radiopharmaceuticals used in cardiac PET perfusion imaging. A9526 identifies nitrogen-13 ammonia; A9555 identifies rubidium-82.
Does A9526 describe the PET imaging service?
No. It identifies the nitrogen-13 ammonia tracer; the PET imaging service is represented by its applicable procedure code.
What should the record support for A9526?
Document the cardiac PET study, the nitrogen-13 ammonia administered, and the dose supplied or administered. The dose should support reporting the study-dose unit.
How does Medicare price and cover A9526?
The physician fee schedule status is carrier priced, with the Medicare Administrative Contractor setting payment for each claim. The HCPCS pricing method is payment set by statute, and coverage is left to the contractor’s judgment.
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
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