Key facts for NCD 250.4
- Benefit category
- Physician Assistant Services
- Effective date
- 11/26/2001
- Implemented 11/26/2001
- Transmittal
- Transmittal 145
- Versions published
- 1
- Manual chapter
- 250
- NCD Manual (Pub. 100-03)
TL;DR
NCD 250.4 sets Medicare's national policy for treatment of actinic keratosis under the benefit category "Physician Assistant Services", effective 11/26/2001 and implemented 11/26/2001. Effective for services performed on and after November 26, 2001, Medicare covers the destruction of actinic keratoses without restrictions based on lesion or patient characteristics. It has been revised once since publication and binds every Medicare Administrative Contractor nationally.
Item or service described
Actinic Keratosis (AKs), also known as solar keratoses, are common, sun-induced skin lesions that are confined to the epidermis and have the potential to become a skin cancer.
Various options exist for treating AKs. Clinicians should select an appropriate treatment based on the patient's medical history, the lesion's characteristics, and on the patient's preference for a specific treatment. Commonly performed treatments for AKs include cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen, topical drug therapy, and curettage. Less commonly performed treatments for AK include dermabrasion, excision, chemical peels, laser therapy, and photodynamic therapy. An alternative approach to treating AKs is to observe the lesions over time and remove them only if they exhibit specific clinical features suggesting possible transformation to invasive squamous cell carcinoma.
Indications and limitations of coverage
Effective for services performed on and after November 26, 2001, Medicare covers the destruction of actinic keratoses without restrictions based on lesion or patient characteristics.
Text reproduced from the CMS Medicare Coverage Database record for NCD 250.4 version 1. View the original on cms.gov.
Revision history
08/2026 - 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 National Coverage Determinations (NCDs). No policy is being changed as a result of these updates. ( TN 13906 ) (CR14537)
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)
02/2026 - 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 National Coverage Determinations (NCDs). No policy is being changed as a result of these updates. ( TN 13623 ) (CR14356)
02/2018 - Transmittal 2033, dated February 16, 2018, is being rescinded and replaced by Transmittal 2039, dated, February 28, 2018 to correct instructions in business requirement 7, NCD210.3, Colorectal Cancer Screening, and its accompanying spreadsheet. All other information remains the same. ( TN 2039 ) (CR10473)
02/2018 - This Change Request (CR) constitutes a maintenance update of International Code of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) conversions and other coding updates specific to National Coverage Determinations (NCDs). These NCD coding changes are the result of newly available codes, coding revisions to NCDs released separately, or coding feedback received.
Previous NCD coding changes appear in ICD-10 quarterly updates that can be found at: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coverage/CoverageGenInfo/ICD10.html , along with other CRs implementing new policy NCDs. Edits to ICD-10 and other coding updates specific to NCDs will be included in subsequent quarterly releases and individual CRs as appropriate. No policy-related changes are included with the ICD-10 quarterly updates. Any policy-related changes to NCDs continue to be implemented via the current, long-standing NCD process. ( TN 2033 ) (CR10473)
05/2014 - CMS translated the information for this policy from ICD-9-CM/PCS to ICD-10-CM/PCS according to HIPAA standard medical data code set requirements and updated any necessary and related coding infrastructure. These updates do not expand, restrict, or alter existing coverage policy. Implementation date: 10/06/2014 Effective date: 10/1/2015. ( TN 1388 ) ( TN 1388 ) (CR 8691)
09/2012 - CMS translated the information for this policy from ICD-9-CM/PCS to ICD-10-CM/PCS according to HIPAA standard medical data code set requirements and updated any necessary and related coding infrastructure. These updates do not expand, restrict, or alter existing coverage policy. Implementation date: 01/07/2013 Effective date: 10/1/2015. ( TN 1122 ) ( TN 1122 ) (CR 7818)
10/2001 - Extended coverage for surgical or medical treatment methods, including but not limited to cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen, curettage, excision, and photodynamic therapy, without restrictions based on patient or lesion characteristics. Medicare contractors retain discretion to determine number of visits considered reasonable and necessary to treat these lesions. Effective and implementation dates 11/26/2001. ( TN 145 ) (CR 1892)
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 250.4
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 250.4
What does NCD 250.4 cover?
Effective for services performed on and after November 26, 2001, Medicare covers the destruction of actinic keratoses without restrictions based on lesion or patient characteristics. The full indications and limitations are reproduced on this page from the CMS Medicare Coverage Database.
When did NCD 250.4 take effect?
The current version (1) is effective 11/26/2001, implemented 11/26/2001, published in transmittal 145. This is the only published version.
Does a Local Coverage Determination override NCD 250.4?
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.