FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

HCPCS code A9551: Tc-99m succimer, per study dose2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Technetium-99m succimer is a renal cortical imaging radiopharmaceutical reported for nuclear medicine studies assessing cortical defects or scarring.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare rate · A9551

Tc-99m succimer, 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 A9551 →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 A9551 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 A9551 covers

Technetium-99m succimer, also called DMSA, is a radioactive diagnostic agent used to image the renal cortex. Nuclear medicine departments use it for studies that assess cortical defects, including suspected renal scarring. The radiopharmaceutical is administered intravenously, and the imaging service is reported separately from the agent. Nuclear medicine and radiology practices typically report the drug code when furnishing the study dose.

On the physician fee schedule, status C means CMS publishes no national payment 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 contractor’s judgment. One unit represents a study dose containing up to 10 millicuries; the code identifies the agent, not the renal imaging procedure.

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 A9551 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

A9551 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

A9551 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
A9551 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 A9551 rate is calculated

Each of A9551’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 · A9551

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 A9551

A9551 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 · A9551

Which rate does Medicare pay?

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

POS 11 · non-facility rate · national

—

A9551 isn’t priced in this setting.

A9551 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • A9551

    Tc-99m succimer, per study dose0 wRVU

    Not priced

  • A9562

    Mertiatide, per study dose0 wRVU

    Not priced

  • A9539

    Tc-99m pentetate, per study dose0 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 78700

    Kidney imaging, morphology only0.44 wRVU

    $153.31

How to choose

A9562MertiatidePer study dose
A9551 identifies technetium-99m succimer for renal cortical imaging; A9562 identifies technetium-99m mertiatide, a different renal imaging agent.
A9539Tc-99m pentetatePer study dose
A9551 is technetium-99m succimer, while A9539 is technetium-99m pentetate. Select the code matching the radiopharmaceutical furnished.
78700Kidney imagingMorphology only
A9551 reports the radiopharmaceutical study dose. 78700 reports a renal static imaging procedure, not the drug.

Codes related to A9551

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

Codes related to A9551
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Often billed with
78700Kidney imaging, morphology onlyRenal static imaging procedure that may be reported with the succimer study dose.$133.08–$214.38
Used instead
A9562Mertiatide, per study doseTechnetium-99m mertiatide is another radiopharmaceutical used for renal imaging.No office rate
A9539Tc-99m pentetate, per study doseTechnetium-99m pentetate is another radiopharmaceutical used in renal imaging.No office rate

A9551 billing questions

Does A9551 report the scan as well as the radiopharmaceutical?

No. A9551 identifies the technetium-99m succimer study dose; report the renal imaging service separately with the applicable procedure code.

How many units represent one study dose?

One unit represents a study dose of up to 10 millicuries of technetium-99m succimer.

When would A9551 be chosen over A9562?

A9551 identifies technetium-99m succimer, commonly used for renal cortical imaging. A9562 identifies technetium-99m mertiatide, used for renal imaging with a different radiopharmaceutical.

How does Medicare set payment for A9551?

Physician fee schedule status C means there is no national payment amount and the Medicare Administrative Contractor sets payment for each claim. The HCPCS pricing method is payment set by statute.

Who determines whether Medicare covers A9551?

Coverage is left to the Medicare 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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what A9551 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 A9551 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

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

Join the waitlist