HCPCS code A9551: Tc-99m succimer, per study dose2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Technetium-99m succimer is a renal cortical imaging radiopharmaceutical reported for nuclear medicine studies assessing cortical defects or scarring.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for A9551 in Missouri.
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 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 in Missouri
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Kansas City, MO | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Rest of Missouri | Unavailable | Unavailable |
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
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
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A9551 isn’t priced in this setting.
A9551 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
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.
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
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