HCPCS code A9550: Tc-99m gluceptate, per study dose2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Louisiana
Reports a diagnostic technetium-99m sodium gluceptate study dose, up to 25 millicuries, for nuclear medicine imaging such as renal scintigraphy.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for A9550 in Louisiana.
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 A9550 covers
Technetium-99m sodium gluceptate is a radioactive diagnostic agent used in nuclear medicine imaging, including renal scintigraphy. Nuclear medicine departments and imaging facilities typically prepare and administer the radiopharmaceutical, generally by intravenous injection, as part of a diagnostic imaging study. A9550 identifies the tracer dose rather than the image acquisition or interpretation.
The dose is reported per study dose, up to 25 millicuries; units are not based on individual millicuries. For Medicare, the physician fee schedule status is C: CMS publishes no national physician fee schedule amount, and the Medicare Administrative Contractor sets payment for each claim. The HCPCS pricing method is payment set by statute. The HCPCS coverage code leaves coverage 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 A9550 pays more and less in Louisiana
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans, LA | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Rest of Louisiana | Unavailable | Unavailable |
How the A9550 rate is calculated
Each of A9550’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 · A9550
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 A9550
A9550 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 · A9550
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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A9550 isn’t priced in this setting.
A9550 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- A9551Tc-99m succimerPer study dose
- A9551 identifies technetium-99m succimer, not sodium gluceptate. Report the agent actually used for the renal imaging study.
- A9562MertiatidePer study dose
- A9562 identifies technetium-99m mertiatide. A9550 applies when the administered agent is sodium gluceptate.
- A9539Tc-99m pentetatePer study dose
- A9539 identifies technetium-99m pentetate. These codes distinguish different tracers, even when both are used for renal imaging.
A9550 billing questions
Does A9550 report the scan or the radioactive drug?
It reports the technetium-99m sodium gluceptate study dose. Image acquisition and interpretation are services distinct from the radiopharmaceutical.
How many units represent a study dose?
The code is defined per study dose, up to 25 millicuries. Do not treat the code as a per-millicurie unit.
How does Medicare price A9550?
Its physician fee schedule status is C, so CMS publishes no national amount and the Medicare Administrative Contractor sets payment for the claim. The HCPCS pricing method states that payment is set by statute.
Does Medicare cover this radiopharmaceutical?
The HCPCS coverage code leaves coverage to the Medicare contractor's judgment.
How is A9550 different from A9562?
A9550 identifies sodium gluceptate, while A9562 identifies technetium-99m mertiatide. Choose the code for the radiopharmaceutical used in the study.
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.
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