FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

HCPCS code A9539: Tc-99m pentetate, per study dose2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports a study dose of technetium-99m pentetate for nuclear medicine imaging, including renal studies and ventilation imaging.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities309 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare rate · A9539

Tc-99m pentetate, per study dose

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
0
Total RVUs
0.00
Global days
XXX

National rate · 2026

—

Not priced in the facility setting.

See every locality for A9539 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What A9539 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What A9539 covers

Technetium-99m pentetate (Tc-99m DTPA) is a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical used by nuclear medicine services. It may be given intravenously for renal imaging or inhaled as an aerosol for ventilation imaging, including the ventilation portion of a ventilation-perfusion lung study. Nuclear medicine departments report the radiopharmaceutical alongside the corresponding imaging service when both are provided.

A9539 represents one study dose, up to 25 millicuries, rather than a quantity billed per millicurie. Medicare assigns physician fee schedule status C: CMS publishes no national payment, and the Medicare Administrative Contractor sets payment for the claim. HCPCS pricing also assigns the item to other contractor pricing, with payment set by the contractor. 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 A9539 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

A9539 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailableUnavailable
AlaskaUnavailableUnavailable
ArizonaUnavailableUnavailable
ArkansasUnavailableUnavailable
Atlanta, GAUnavailableUnavailable
Austin, TXUnavailableUnavailable
Bakersfield, CAUnavailableUnavailable
Baltimore area, MDUnavailableUnavailable
Beaumont, TXUnavailableUnavailable
Brazoria, TXUnavailableUnavailable

A9539 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
A9539 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the A9539 rate is calculated

Each of A9539’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 · A9539

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

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 A9539

A9539 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 · A9539

Which rate does Medicare pay?

The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).

POS 11 · non-facility rate · national

—

A9539 isn’t priced in this setting.

A9539 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • A9539

    Tc-99m pentetate, per study dose0 wRVU

    Not priced

  • A9540

    Tc-99m MAA, per study dose0 wRVU

    Not priced

  • A9548

    Indium-111 pentetate, per 0.5 mCi0 wRVU

    Not priced

  • A9551

    Tc-99m succimer, per study dose0 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

A9540Tc-99m MAAPer study dose
A9539 is Tc-99m pentetate, which may be used for ventilation imaging. A9540 is Tc-99m macroaggregated albumin for lung perfusion.
A9548Indium-111 pentetatePer 0.5 mCi
A9548 identifies indium-111 pentetate, not the technetium-99m agent in A9539. The radionuclide and clinical protocol distinguish the codes.
A9551Tc-99m succimerPer study dose
A9551 is Tc-99m succimer, used for renal cortical imaging. A9539 is Tc-99m pentetate, used for renal functional studies and ventilation imaging.

Codes related to A9539

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

Codes related to A9539
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Often billed with
A9540Tc-99m MAA, per study doseTc-99m macroaggregated albumin supplies the perfusion component of many ventilation-perfusion lung studies.No office rate
78582Lung scan, ventilation and perfusionReports combined pulmonary ventilation and perfusion imaging; A9539 may supply its ventilation radiopharmaceutical.$253.25–$404.17
78707Renal imaging, single study, no drugReports renal flow and function imaging that may use intravenous Tc-99m pentetate.$183.29–$288.84

A9539 billing questions

When should A9539 be used instead of A9540?

A9539 identifies Tc-99m pentetate, which may be used for ventilation imaging. A9540 identifies Tc-99m macroaggregated albumin for lung perfusion; the agents may be used together in a ventilation-perfusion study.

How many units should be reported?

One unit represents a study dose up to 25 millicuries. The code is not billed per millicurie.

Does A9539 report the imaging service too?

A9539 identifies the radiopharmaceutical dose, not the imaging procedure. The imaging service is reported with its own procedure code.

How does Medicare price and cover A9539?

Physician fee schedule status C means CMS publishes no national payment and the Medicare Administrative Contractor sets payment. Coverage is left to the contractor's judgment.

How does A9539 compare with A9548?

A9548 identifies indium-111 pentetate, while A9539 identifies technetium-99m pentetate. The radionuclide and clinical protocol distinguish the codes.

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

Did this answer your question about what A9539 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets · Coming soon

Put A9539 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.

Join the waitlist