HCPCS code Q9956: Ultrasound contrast, per mL2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Reports the volume of intravenous octafluoropropane protein microsphere contrast used during echocardiography when cardiac structures need better ultrasound visualization.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for Q9956 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 Q9956 covers
Q9956 represents an intravenous ultrasound contrast agent made of protein microspheres containing octafluoropropane gas, known as perflutren protein-type A microspheres (Optison). It is commonly used during echocardiography when images do not clearly show the left ventricular cavity or endocardial borders. The echocardiography team administers the contrast while performing the imaging study; the imaging service is reported separately under the applicable echocardiography code.
Each Q9956 unit represents 1 mL of the contrast agent. CMS excludes this code from the physician fee schedule under status E. If Medicare covers the item or service, payment is handled through another method, with the Medicare contractor setting the amount under other-contractor pricing. 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 Q9956 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 Q9956 rate is calculated
Each of Q9956’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 · Q9956
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 Q9956
Q9956 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 · Q9956
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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Q9956 isn’t priced in this setting.
Q9956 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- Q9957Perflutren contrastPer ml
- Choose Q9956 for octafluoropropane protein microspheres; Q9957 identifies perflutren lipid microspheres.
- Q9950Sulfur hexafluoridePer mL
- Q9950 identifies sulfur hexafluoride lipid microspheres, not the octafluoropropane protein microspheres represented by Q9956.
- Q9955Perflexane injectionPer milliliter
- Q9955 identifies perflexane lipid microspheres. Q9956 is for octafluoropropane protein microspheres.
Q9956 billing questions
How is Q9956 different from Q9957?
Q9956 identifies octafluoropropane protein microspheres. Q9957 identifies perflutren lipid microspheres, a different formulation of ultrasound contrast.
How many units should be reported?
Report one unit for each 1 mL administered. Base the quantity on the volume used, not the number of imaging views.
Does Q9956 include the echocardiogram?
No. Q9956 identifies the contrast agent; the echocardiography service has its own procedure code.
What documentation supports Q9956?
Document the contrast agent used and the volume administered, along with the echocardiography service in which it was used.
How does Medicare handle payment and coverage?
CMS excludes Q9956 from the physician fee schedule. If Medicare covers it, the Medicare contractor sets payment under another payment method and determines coverage.
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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