Key facts for NCD 110.24
- Benefit category
- Drugs and Biologicals, Inpatient Hospital Services
- Effective date
- 08/07/2019
- Implemented 09/20/2021
- Transmittal
- Transmittal 10891
- Versions published
- 1
- Manual chapter
- 110
- NCD Manual (Pub. 100-03)
TL;DR
NCD 110.24 sets Medicare's national policy for chimeric antigen receptor (car) t-cell therapy under the benefit category "Drugs and Biologicals, Inpatient Hospital Services", effective 08/07/2019 and implemented 09/20/2021. Effective for services performed on or after August 7, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) covers autologous treatment for cancer with T-cells expressing at least one chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) when administered at healthcare… It has been revised once since publication and binds every Medicare Administrative Contractor nationally.
Item or service described
A. General
Cancer is a collection of related diseases of dividing cells that can start almost anywhere in or on the body, evade the immune system, and invade nearby tissues. Categories of cancer are typically organized by the location in the body and specific type of cell. These categories may include carcinoma, sarcoma, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, melanoma, and brain and spinal cord tumors. There are also changes to these cells that are not considered cancer. These changes include hyperplasia—when a cell divides faster than normal—and dysplasia—a buildup of extra cells with abnormal shape and disorganization.
A person’s immune system contains cells to help fight substances that are foreign to the body, including cancer. These cells are called white blood cells, most of which are lymphocytes. The two main types of lymphocytes are B lymphocytes (B-cells) and T lymphocytes (T-cells). B-cells generate and release antibodies to fight infection, especially bacterial infections, while T-cells employ a number of other mechanisms to fight abnormal cells such as cancer. One type of therapy that leverages the immune system—immunotherapy—is Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.
CAR T-cells have been genetically altered in order to improve the ability of the T-cells to fight cancer. The genetic modification creating a CAR can enhance the ability of the T-cell to recognize and attach to a specific protein, called an antigen, on the surface of a cancer cell.
Indications and limitations of coverage
B. Nationally Covered Indications
Effective for services performed on or after August 7, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) covers autologous treatment for cancer with T-cells expressing at least one chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) when administered at healthcare facilities enrolled in the FDA risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) and used for a medically accepted indication as defined at Social Security Act section 1861(t)(2) -i.e., is used for either an FDA-approved indication (according to the FDA-approved label for that product), or for other uses when the product has been FDA-approved and the use is supported in one or more CMS-approved compendia.
C. Nationally Non-Covered
Effective for services performed on or after August 7, 2019, the use of non-FDA-approved autologous T-cells expressing at least one CAR is non-covered. Autologous treatment for cancer with T-cells expressing at least one CAR is non-covered when the requirements in Section A are not met.
D. Other
Effective for services performed on or after August 7, 2019, routine costs in clinical trials that use CAR T-cell therapy as an investigational agent that meet the requirements listed in NCD 310.1 will be covered.
(This NCD last reviewed August 2019.)
Text reproduced from the CMS Medicare Coverage Database record for NCD 110.24 version 1. View the original on cms.gov.
Revision history
08/2026 - Transmittal 13752 issued May 26, 2026, is being rescinded and replaced by Transmittal 13910, dated August 14, 2026, to remove business requirement 14464.5, NCD 250.4 Treatment of Actinic Keratosis from the change request. All other information remains the same.( TN 13910 ) (CR14464)
05/2026 - The purpose of this Change Request (CR) is to provide a quarterly maintenance update of ICD-10 coding conversions and other coding updates specific to NCDs. No policy is being changed as a result of these updates. ( TN 13752 ) (CR14464)
07/2025 - The purpose of this Change Request (CR) is to provide a quarterly maintenance update of ICD-10 coding conversions and other coding updates specific to NCDs. No policy is being changed as a result of these updates. ( TN 13327 ) (CR14041)
06/2025 - The purpose of this Change Request (CR) is to provide a quarterly maintenance update of ICD-10 coding conversions and other coding updates specific to NCDs. No policy is being changed as a result of these updates. ( TN 13251 ) (CR14041)
03/2025 - The purpose of this Change Request (CR) is to provide a quarterly maintenance update of ICD-10 coding conversions and other coding updates specific to National Coverage Determinations (NCDs). No policy is being changed as a result of these updates. ( TN 13097 ) (CR13939)
10/2024 - The purpose of the Change Request (CR) is to provide a quarterly maintenance update of ICD-10 coding conversions and other coding updates specific to National Coverage Determinations(NCDs). No policy is being changed as a result of these updates. ( TN 12903 ) (CR13818)
08/2022 - Transmittal 11545 dated August 5, 2022, is being rescinded and replaced by Transmittal 11584, dated, August 31, 2022. ( TN 11584 ) (CR12822)
08/2022 - The purpose of this Change Request (CR) is to provide a maintenance update of ICD-10 conversions and other coding updates to specific NCDs. ( TN 11545 ) (CR12822)
04/2022 - This Change Request (CR) constitutes a maintenance update of ICD-10 conversions and other coding updates specific to NCDs. These NCD coding changes are the result of newly available codes, coding revisions to NCDs released separately, or coding feedback received. ( TN 11391 ) (CR12606)
04/2022 - Transmittal 11264, dated February 10, 2022, is being rescinded and replaced by Transmittal 11342, dated, April 6, 2022 to (1) revise BR 12606.10 instructions for NCD 110.24, (2) BR12606.2, fix typo in NCD 160.18 spreadsheet ICD-10 G40.384, which should be G40.834, and, (3) revise implementation verbiage (no changes to the actual implementation date). All other information remains the same. ( TN 11342 ) (CR12606)
02/2022 - This Change Request (CR) constitutes a maintenance update of ICD-10 conversions and other coding updates specific to NCDs. These NCD coding changes are the result of newly available codes, coding revisions to NCDs released separately, or coding feedback received.( TN 11264 ) (CR12606)
01/2022 - Transmittal 11068, dated October 21, 2021, is being rescinded and replaced by Transmittal 11179, dated, January 12, 2022 to revise the attachment for NCD 110.24, CAR-T, to add business requirement 12480.10.1 by adding generic unspecified procedure codes, to clarify coverage and claims processing in the policy section and to review the implementation date. All other information remains the same. ( TN 11179 ) (CR12480)
10/2021 - This Change Request (CR) constitutes a maintenance update of ICD-10 conversions and other coding updates specific to NCDs. These NCD coding changes are the result of newly available codes, coding revisions to NCDs released separately, or coding feedback received. ( TN 11068 ) (CR12480)
09/2021 - This Change Request (CR) constitutes a maintenance update of ICD-10 conversions and other coding updates specific to NCDs. These NCD coding changes are the result of newly available codes, coding revisions to NCDs released separately, or coding feedback received. ( TN 11025 ) (CR12399)
08/2021 - This Change Request (CR) constitutes a maintenance update of ICD-10 conversions and other coding updates specific to NCDs. These NCD coding changes are the result of newly available codes, coding revisions to NCDs released separately, or coding feedback received. ( TN 10963 ) (CR12399)
07/2021 - Transmittal 10796, dated May 20, 2021, is being rescinded and replaced by Transmittal 10891, dated, July 20, 2021 to add CPT code C9076 for Breyanzi and the HCPCS website for reference to the policy section and in the 100-04 manual attachment. This correction also updates the implementation date and updates business requirements 12177-04.1, 12177-04.3, 12177-04.4 and 12177-04.8. This correction only revises publication 100-04, there are no changes to publication 100-03. All other information remains the same. ( TN 10891 ) (CR12177)
05/2021 - This CR Rescinds and Fully Replaces CR11783. ( TN 10796 ) (CR12177)
11/2020 - The purpose of the Change Request (CR) is to inform MACs that effective for claims with dates of service on or after August 7, 2019, CMS covers autologous treatment for cancer with T-cells expressing at least one CAR when administered at healthcare facilities enrolled in the FDA Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS),and meets specified FDA conditions.
How this NCD shows up on remittances
A service denied under a National Coverage Determination returns CARC 50 (not deemed medically necessary) with remark N386 (decision based on an NCD); a denial citing a local policy instead carries N115. Because NCDs bind nationally, the appeal path is documentation that the patient meets the indications above, not a contractor-policy argument.
How QuickIntell applies NCD 110.24
QuickAuth checks the ordered service and diagnosis against NCD and LCD criteria before the encounter, QuickCode validates the diagnosis pairing on the claim, and QuickRCM routes CARC 50 denials with the policy text and the covered-code list attached so the appeal starts with evidence.
Frequently asked questions — NCD 110.24
What does NCD 110.24 cover?
Effective for services performed on or after August 7, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) covers autologous treatment for cancer with T-cells expressing at least one chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) when administered at healthcare facilities enrolled in the FDA risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) and used for a medically accepted indication as defined at Social Security Act section… The full indications and limitations are reproduced on this page from the CMS Medicare Coverage Database.
When did NCD 110.24 take effect?
The current version (1) is effective 08/07/2019, implemented 09/20/2021, published in transmittal 10891. This is the only published version.
Does a Local Coverage Determination override NCD 110.24?
No. A National Coverage Determination binds all Medicare Administrative Contractors; an LCD can only address services or circumstances the NCD leaves open. Claims denied under this NCD typically return CARC 50 with remark N386 (NCD) rather than N115 (LCD).
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…
Disclaimer
This page reproduces the CMS National Coverage Determination text and, for laboratory NCDs, the CMS ICD-10 edit lists, as an operational reference. Coverage decisions depend on the full policy, the claim and the contractor; nothing here is legal, clinical or billing advice. CPT codes are shown as numbers only; CPT descriptors are copyright AMA.