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HCPCS code Q9966: Low-osmolar contrast, 200-299 mg iodine/ml2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports low-osmolar iodinated contrast used for diagnostic imaging when its iodine concentration is 200-299 mg per milliliter.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare rate · Q9966

Low-osmolar contrast, 200-299 mg iodine/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 Q9966 →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 Q9966 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 Q9966 covers

Q9966 identifies low-osmolar iodinated contrast material used to make anatomy visible during diagnostic imaging, including radiographic and CT examinations. Radiology departments, hospitals, imaging centers, and other entities furnishing the contrast may report it when the product’s iodine concentration is 200-299 mg per milliliter. The code identifies the contrast material, not the imaging study or its interpretation.

CMS excludes Q9966 from the physician fee schedule under status E. When Medicare covers the item, payment is through another method; HCPCS pricing classifies it as a Part B drug, generally priced from CMS quarterly Average Sales Price drug files. The coverage code indicates that special Medicare coverage instructions apply. Each billing unit represents 1 milliliter of contrast, so the reported units correspond to the milliliters furnished.

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 Q9966 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

Q9966 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

Q9966 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
Q9966 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 Q9966 rate is calculated

Each of Q9966’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 · Q9966

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 Q9966

Q9966 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 · Q9966

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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Q9966 isn’t priced in this setting.

Q9966 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • Q9966

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

    Not priced

  • Q9965

    Iodinated contrast, 100–199 mg iodine/mL0 wRVU

    Not priced

  • Q9967

    Iodinated contrast, 300–399 mg iodine/mL0 wRVU

    Not priced

  • Q9961

    Iodinated contrast, 250–299 mg iodine/mL0 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

Q9965Iodinated contrast100–199 mg iodine/mL
Q9965 is for low-osmolar contrast at 100-199 mg iodine/mL. Q9966 applies when the concentration is 200-299 mg/mL.
Q9967Iodinated contrast300–399 mg iodine/mL
Q9967 is for low-osmolar contrast at 300-399 mg iodine/mL. Use Q9966 for the 200-299 mg/mL range.
Q9961Iodinated contrast250–299 mg iodine/mL
Q9961 covers high-osmolar contrast at 250-299 mg iodine/mL. Q9966 is for low-osmolar contrast in the 200-299 mg/mL range.

Codes related to Q9966

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

Codes related to Q9966
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
Q9965Iodinated contrast, 100–199 mg iodine/mLLow-osmolar iodinated contrast with a lower iodine concentration, 100-199 mg/mL.No office rate
Q9967Iodinated contrast, 300–399 mg iodine/mLLow-osmolar iodinated contrast with a higher iodine concentration, 300-399 mg/mL.No office rate
Q9951Iodinated contrast, low osmolar, 400+ mg/mLLow-osmolar iodinated contrast for concentrations of 400 mg/mL or higher.No office rate

Q9966 billing questions

How many units represent 50 mL of contrast?

Q9966 represents 1 mL per unit, so 50 mL corresponds to 50 units.

How do I choose between Q9965, Q9966, and Q9967?

Choose by the contrast material’s iodine concentration: Q9965 covers 100-199 mg/mL, Q9966 covers 200-299 mg/mL, and Q9967 covers 300-399 mg/mL.

Is Q9966 the code for the scan or interpretation?

No. It identifies the low-osmolar contrast material; the imaging study and its interpretation are distinct services.

How does Medicare treat Q9966?

CMS excludes it from the physician fee schedule under status E. When covered, it is paid through another method; HCPCS pricing identifies it as a Part B drug generally priced from quarterly ASP files.

Does Medicare coverage have a special instruction for this code?

Yes. The HCPCS coverage code indicates that 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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