FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

HCPCS code Q9956: Ultrasound contrast, per mL2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Vermont

Reports the volume of intravenous octafluoropropane protein microsphere contrast used during echocardiography when cardiac structures need better ultrasound visualization.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026One payment locality

CMS doesn’t publish a rate for Q9956 in Vermont.

Separate payment rules applyOffice (non-facility)
Separate payment rules applyHospital or facility

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · Q9956 nationwide

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

We’ll open Q9956 for the payment locality that covers the ZIP.

On this page 11 sections
  1. Rate in Vermont
  2. What Q9956 covers
  3. Compared with other areas
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Related codes
  8. Rate history
  9. Where it applies
  10. Billing questions
  11. Sources

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.

How Vermont compares for Q9956

Q9956 in Vermont vs other payment areas
  1. Vermont · this pageUnavailable
  2. Los Angeles, CA · CaliforniaUnavailable
  3. Washington, DC area · District of ColumbiaUnavailable
  4. Miami, FL · FloridaUnavailable
  5. Chicago, IL · IllinoisUnavailable
  6. Manhattan, NY · New YorkUnavailable
  7. Alaska · AlaskaUnavailable

Other areas in Vermont first, then benchmark localities. Bars start at $0.

Every other payment area

Q9956 in every other Medicare payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaAlabama——
ArkansasArkansas——
ArizonaArizona——
Bakersfield, CACalifornia——
Chico, CACalifornia——
El Centro, CACalifornia——
Fresno, CACalifornia——
Hanford, CACalifornia——

Q9956 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
Q9956 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

See Q9956 in every payment locality

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

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 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

—

Q9956 isn’t priced in this setting.

Codes related to Q9956

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

Codes related to Q9956
CodeHow it relatesOffice range, Vermont
Used instead
Q9957Perflutren contrast, per mlIdentifies perflutren lipid microspheres, a different formulation of ultrasound contrast.No office rate
Q9950Sulfur hexafluoride, per mLIdentifies sulfur hexafluoride lipid microspheres used as ultrasound contrast.No office rate
Q9955Perflexane injection, per milliliterIdentifies perflexane lipid microspheres, another ultrasound contrast agent.No office rate
Often billed with
93306Echocardiogram (TTE), complete, with spectral and color DopplerComplete transthoracic echocardiography may be performed with contrast during the same encounter.$193.94
93308Echocardiogram, follow-up or limited studyLimited transthoracic echocardiography may be performed with contrast during the same encounter.$99.72

How Q9956 has changed in Vermont

Q9956 · Office / nonfacility

Rate unavailable

Effective 2026-10-01

A rate is unavailable in one of these releases, so a change cannot be calculated.

Base rate by release · bars start at $0 · select a bar to compare

One bar per available release, ordered by effective date. Missing rates remain gaps. These comparisons hold the code, setting and locality identifiers constant; they do not isolate which policy or input caused a change.

What changed, release by release
Rates in every CMS release
Effective fromOfficeFacilityCMS release
2026-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU26D
2026-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU26C
2026-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU26B
2026-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU26A
2025-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU25D
2025-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU25C
2025-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU25B
2025-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU25A
2024-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU24D
2024-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU24C
2024-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU24B
2024-03-09Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU24AR
2024-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU24A
2023-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU23D
2023-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU23C
2023-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU23B
2023-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU23A
2022-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU22D
2022-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU22C
2022-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU22B
2022-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU22A
2021-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU21D
2021-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU21C
2021-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU21B
2021-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU21A
2020-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU20D
2020-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU20C
2020-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU20B
2020-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU20A
2019-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU19D
2019-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU19C
2019-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU19B
2019-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU19A
2018-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU18D
2018-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU18C
2018-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU18B
2018-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU18AR1
2017-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU17D
2017-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU17C
2017-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU17B
2017-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU17A
2016-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU16D
2016-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU16C
2016-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU16B
2016-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU16A
2015-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU15D
2015-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU15C
2015-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU15B
2015-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU15A
2014-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU14D
2014-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU14C
2014-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU14B
2014-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU14A
2013-10-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU13D
2013-07-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU13C
2013-04-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU13B
2013-01-01Separate payment rules applySeparate payment rules applyRVU13AR

Price Q9956 for an earlier date of service

Where the Vermont rate applies

Vermont is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 180 cities and communities in Vermont. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

  • Albany
  • Alburgh
  • Algiers
  • Arlington
  • Ascutney
  • Bakersfield
  • Barnet
  • Barre

Browse all communities in Vermont

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what Q9956 pays in Vermont?

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 Q9956 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

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

Join the waitlist