HCPCS code J0885: Epoetin alfa, per 1,000 units2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

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

What J0885 covers

Epoetin alfa is an erythropoiesis-stimulating drug used to treat anemia, including anemia associated with chronic kidney disease in patients not receiving dialysis and anemia related to certain cancer treatments. It is typically administered by a clinician in an office, clinic, or hospital outpatient setting, by subcutaneous injection or intravenous administration. The non-ESRD designation distinguishes this code from codes for use in end-stage renal disease (ESRD); it does not identify a particular anemia cause or route.

CMS assigns this code physician fee schedule status E, meaning it is excluded from the physician fee schedule. When Medicare covers the drug, payment is under another payment method; as a Part B drug, it is generally priced using CMS quarterly Average Sales Price drug pricing files. Special Medicare coverage instructions apply. Each HCPCS unit represents 1,000 units of epoetin alfa, so a 40,000-unit dose corresponds to 40 HCPCS units.

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 J0885 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

J0885 rates by state

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

How the J0885 rate is calculated

Each of J0885’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for J0885

J0885 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.

J0885 compared with similar codes

How to choose

J0881Darbepoetin alfaPer 1 mcg, non-ESRD

Both are non-ESRD anemia drugs, but J0885 reports epoetin alfa and J0881 reports darbepoetin alfa.

J0882Darbepoetin alfaESRD on dialysis, per 1 mcg

J0882 reports darbepoetin alfa for ESRD use. J0885 reports epoetin alfa for non-ESRD use.

J0888Epoetin betaPer 1 mcg

J0888 reports epoetin beta for non-ESRD use; J0885 reports epoetin alfa for non-ESRD use.

Codes related to J0885

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

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