What is in the database
Each type has its own identifier format, which is the fastest way to search: paste the number into the document ID field and the record opens directly.
| Document | What it is | Identifier | On this site |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Coverage Determination (NCD) | CMS's nationwide decision on coverage of an item or service; binding on every contractor. | Chapter.section, e.g. 190.23 | Guide |
| National Coverage Analysis (NCA) and decision memorandum | The tracking sheet, proposed and final decision memoranda behind a new or revised NCD, with public comments. | CAG-000nnnN or R | — |
| Local Coverage Determination (LCD) | A contractor's reasonable-and-necessary decision for its jurisdiction; proposed, final and retired versions. | L or DL plus five digits | Guide |
| Billing and Coding Article | The ICD-10, CPT and HCPCS codes, modifiers and billing rules that implement an LCD or NCD; the document contractors load as the claims edit. | A plus five digits | — |
| Coding Analyses for Labs (CAL) and lab NCD code lists | Quarterly ICD-10 edit lists for the 23 national laboratory NCDs, published as spreadsheets and change requests. | By NCD number | Guide |
| MEDCAC meetings and technology assessments | Records of the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee and the external assessments CMS commissions. | By meeting date | — |
Three ways to search
The first way is by document identifier. An NCD number such as 190.23, an LCD number such as L followed by five digits, or an article number beginning with A opens the record directly, which is the right path when a remittance remark or a payer letter names the policy. The second way is by keyword, CPT or HCPCS code: the LCD and Article search matches the code against the Billing and Coding Articles and returns the articles that list it, each linked to its parent LCD, while the NCD search matches keywords in the policy title and text. Searching by a drug's HCPCS code is the quickest way to see every contractor that has written a policy on it, which is why each HCPCS drug code page here lists the articles that mention the code. The third way is by state or contractor, which answers the question a new location or a new payer contract raises: which policies apply here. The LCD lookup guide walks through that path from the state to the article, and the contractor hubs list every active policy with its revision date.
Two filters matter more than they look. Retired and proposed documents are excluded by default, so a denial on last year's date of service may point at a policy that no longer appears until the status filter is widened; and the keyword search covers the current version only, so a code that was removed from an article in a revision will not match even though it was covered when the claim was filed. The What's New report, published with every weekly release, lists the documents added, revised and retired that week, and is the practical change feed for a billing team that wants to know what moved before the denials arrive.
Downloads and the Coverage API
The downloads page provides the database as ZIP archives of CSV tables: separate datasets for NCDs, current and retired LCDs, and articles, each with the lookup tables for contractors, jurisdictions, states and document relationships, refreshed on the weekly release. The download is gated by three license notices, because the article tables contain descriptors for CPT codes owned by the American Medical Association, CDT codes owned by the American Dental Association and UB-04 codes owned by the American Hospital Association; the notices grant use for the downloader's own purposes and do not permit republishing those descriptors, which is why this site shows CPT codes as bare numbers while reproducing the public-domain HCPCS Level II and ICD-10 descriptors in full. CMS also publishes a Coverage API that returns the same documents as JSON by identifier or search, which is the source for the NCD text, indications and limitations on the policy pages here.
How this reference is rebuilt from the database
Every coverage page on this site is computed from a dated MCD release rather than written by hand. The NCD pages take the policy text, indications, limitations and dates from the Coverage API export, join the quarterly laboratory code lists for the 23 laboratory policies, and attach the ICD-10-CM descriptions from the FY2027 code set. The contractor hubs take the LCD, contractor and jurisdiction tables from the bulk download and list every active policy per contractor with its effective date and CMS link. Each page shows the release date, the effective date and the SHA-256 of the files used, and the methodology page describes the computations and the licensing rules. The coverage hub is the index of all 345 NCDs by manual chapter and of the 7 contractor hubs, and the NCD guide explains how the determinations are issued and enforced.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Medicare Coverage Database?
It is the CMS web application at cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database that publishes every National Coverage Determination, Local Coverage Determination and Billing and Coding Article, together with the coverage analyses, decision memoranda and advisory committee records behind them. It is the official source for Medicare coverage policy and is updated weekly.
How do I search the MCD by CPT or HCPCS code?
Use the LCD and Article search, enter the code in the keyword or code field and optionally a state or contractor, then open the Billing and Coding Articles in the results; each article links to its parent LCD. NCDs are searched by NCD number or keyword through the NCD search.
Can I download the whole database?
Yes. The downloads page provides ZIP archives of the NCD, LCD and Article datasets as CSV tables, refreshed on the weekly release, after accepting the AMA CPT, ADA CDT and AHA UB-04 license notices that cover the code descriptors inside. CMS also exposes a Coverage API for programmatic access to the same documents.
How current are the coverage pages on this site?
They are rebuilt from a dated MCD release and show the release and effective dates on every page with the SHA-256 of the files used. The current build uses the release of September 24, 2026; the refresh follows the weekly cadence described on the methodology page.
Why do the pages here show CPT codes without descriptions?
CPT descriptors in the MCD downloads are licensed from the American Medical Association for the user's own use. This site reproduces CPT codes as bare numbers only; HCPCS Level II and ICD-10 descriptors are public domain and are shown in full.
Sources
Every figure on this page is taken from the CMS publications below, as released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Projection built 2026-10-02. Verify against the primary file before billing or contracting decisions.
- Medicare Coverage Database NCDs via the CMS Coverage APIVersion API snapshot 2026-09-27 · effective 2026-09-20 · file national-coverage-ncd.jsonSHA-256 a90fadfd264b9ef4…
- Medicare Coverage Database, current LCD exportVersion MCD release 2026-09-24 · effective 2026-09-20 · file lcd.csvSHA-256 2fcc4251b6ddd1eb…
- Laboratory NCD ICD-10 code lists, January 2026Version January 2026 · effective 2026-01-01 · file 2026100-Initial-ICD10-NCD-Spreadsheet-20250721-508.xlsxSHA-256 57ff5cd37ba523d3…
Disclaimer
Operational reference compiled from the CMS Medicare Coverage Database. Coverage decisions depend on the full policy text, the claim and the contractor. Not legal, clinical or billing advice.