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HCPCS code Q9960: Iodinated contrast, high osmolar, 200–249 mg/mL2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports each milliliter of high-osmolar iodinated contrast with an iodine concentration of 200–249 mg/mL used for diagnostic imaging.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities2.4K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare rate · Q9960

Iodinated contrast, high osmolar, 200–249 mg/mL

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 Q9960 →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 Q9960 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 Q9960 covers

Q9960 identifies high-osmolar iodinated contrast used to improve visualization during diagnostic imaging, including CT and angiographic examinations. Radiology departments and other clinicians furnishing imaging may report the contrast material. The code represents the contrast agent, not the imaging examination; select it when the material’s iodine concentration is 200–249 mg/mL. Documentation of the product and volume supports the concentration category and reported quantity.

CMS assigns Q9960 physician fee schedule status E, so it is excluded from the physician fee schedule by regulation. When Medicare covers the item, payment is made under another payment method. HCPCS pricing classifies it as a Part B drug; when covered, Medicare generally pays using CMS’s quarterly ASP drug pricing files. Special Medicare coverage instructions apply. The code is reported per milliliter: one unit represents 1 mL of contrast material.

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 Q9960 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

Q9960 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

Q9960 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
Q9960 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 Q9960 rate is calculated

Each of Q9960’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 · Q9960

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 Q9960

Q9960 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 · Q9960

Which rate does Medicare pay?

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

POS 11 · non-facility rate · national

—

Q9960 isn’t priced in this setting.

Q9960 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • Q9960

    Iodinated contrast, high osmolar, 200–249 mg/mL0 wRVU

    Not priced

  • Q9959

    High-osmolar contrast, 150–199 mg iodine/ml0 wRVU

    Not priced

  • Q9961

    Iodinated contrast, 250–299 mg iodine/mL0 wRVU

    Not priced

  • Q9966

    Low-osmolar contrast, 200-299 mg iodine/ml0 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

Q9959High-osmolar contrast150–199 mg iodine/ml
Use Q9959 for high-osmolar contrast with 150–199 mg/mL iodine. Q9960 represents the higher 200–249 mg/mL range.
Q9961Iodinated contrast250–299 mg iodine/mL
Use Q9961 for high-osmolar contrast with 250–299 mg/mL iodine. Q9960 is limited to 200–249 mg/mL.
Q9966Low-osmolar contrast200-299 mg iodine/ml
Q9966 identifies low-osmolar contrast at 200–299 mg/mL iodine. Q9960 identifies high-osmolar contrast at 200–249 mg/mL.

Codes related to Q9960

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

Codes related to Q9960
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
Q9958High-osmolar contrast, up to 149 mg/mL iodineHigh-osmolar iodinated contrast with iodine concentration of 149 mg/mL or less.No office rate
Q9959High-osmolar contrast, 150–199 mg iodine/mlHigh-osmolar iodinated contrast in the lower 150–199 mg/mL concentration range.No office rate
Q9961Iodinated contrast, 250–299 mg iodine/mLHigh-osmolar iodinated contrast in the next concentration range, 250–299 mg/mL.No office rate
Q9962Iodinated contrast, high osmolar, 300–349 mg/mLHigh-osmolar iodinated contrast in the 300–349 mg/mL concentration range.No office rate
Q9963Iodinated contrast, 350–399 mg iodine/mLHigh-osmolar iodinated contrast in the 350–399 mg/mL concentration range.No office rate
Q9964Iodinated contrast, high osmolar, 400+ mg/mLHigh-osmolar iodinated contrast with iodine concentration of 400 mg/mL or more.No office rate

Q9960 billing questions

How is Q9960 different from Q9959 or Q9961?

These codes distinguish high-osmolar contrast by iodine concentration. Q9960 is for 200–249 mg/mL; Q9959 is for 150–199 mg/mL, and Q9961 is for 250–299 mg/mL.

How many units should be reported?

Report one unit for each milliliter of the contrast material represented by Q9960.

Does Q9960 identify the imaging procedure?

No. It identifies the contrast material, not the imaging examination.

What should the record support?

Document the contrast product’s iodine concentration and the volume used so the selected concentration category and milliliter units are supported.

How does Medicare treat Q9960?

CMS excludes it from the physician fee schedule with status E. When covered, it is a Part B drug generally paid using the quarterly ASP drug pricing files, and special Medicare coverage instructions apply.

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

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