HCPCS code Q9960: Iodinated contrast, high osmolar, 200–249 mg/mL2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Reports each milliliter of high-osmolar iodinated contrast with an iodine concentration of 200–249 mg/mL used for diagnostic imaging.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for Q9960 in Florida.
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 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 in Florida
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Miami, FL | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Rest of Florida | Unavailable | Unavailable |
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
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
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Q9960 isn’t priced in this setting.
Q9960 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
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.
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
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