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HCPCS J0666 · Level II · Part B drug

HCPCS J0666: Injection, bupivacaine liposome, 1 mg

Reviewed by QuickIntell RCM Editorial Team · Last reviewed

Data effective
Data currency: ASP payment limits October 2026 (effective October 1, 2026); MUE and NCCI edits 2026 Q4 (effective October 1, 2026); OPPS Addendum B July 2026 (effective July 1, 2026). Next CMS release: January 1, 2027 (ASP, MUE, NCCI and OPPS quarterly updates).

Key facts for J0666

Billing unit
1 MG
Inj, bupivacaine liposome
ASP payment limit
$1.426
October 2026; -1.9% vs July 2026
Practitioner MUE
266
MAI 2
OPPS status
SI K1
APC 0763
NCCI exposure
no PTP pairs
Coverage articles
0
none list this code

TL;DR

HCPCS J0666 is the Level II code for Injection, bupivacaine liposome, 1 mg, billed per 1 MG. The Medicare Part B ASP payment limit for October 2026 is $1.426 per billing unit, down 1.9% from July 2026. The practitioner MUE allows up to 266 units per date of service (MAI 2). Under OPPS it carries status indicator K1 in APC 0763. With a 1 mg billing unit, a single administration can be hundreds of units; the unit count on the claim must equal the milligrams given, and rounding rules for partial units follow the contractor's guidance. The ASP crosswalk maps 4 NDCs to it, sold as Exparel by Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. No current Billing and Coding Article lists J0666, so coverage follows the FDA label, compendia and any applicable NCD.

Medicare Part B payment limit (ASP)

CMS sets the Part B payment limit for J0666 at $1.426 per 1 MG for October 2026, derived from manufacturer average sales price plus 6%, compared with $1.454 in July 2026. Beneficiary coinsurance is 20%.

ASP payment limits for J0666
QuarterPayment limitPerCoinsurance
October 2026$1.4261 MG20%
July 2026$1.4541 MG—
Source: CMS Medicare Part B Drug Payment Limit File. Commercial and Medicaid payers set their own rates.

NDC to HCPCS billing-unit conversion

The October 2026 ASP crosswalk maps 4 NDCs from 1 labeler to J0666. Report the NDC in the claim's drug segment and bill the number of J0666 units that equals the quantity administered divided by 1 MG; the last column gives units per full package.

NDCs that crosswalk to J0666
NDCDrug nameLabelerPackage sizeBilling units / package
65250-0133-04ExparelPacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.10 × 4532
65250-0133-09ExparelPacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.10 × 101330
65250-0266-04ExparelPacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.20 × 41064
65250-0266-09ExparelPacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.20 × 102660

Medically Unlikely Edits (MUE)

CMS publishes 3 MUE values for J0666. For practitioners the limit is 266 units per date of service with adjudication indicator 2, a date-of-service policy edit: the limit reflects CMS policy and units above it deny even if split across lines; appeals rarely succeed.

MUE values for J0666 by setting
SettingMUE (units/DOS)MAICMS rationale
Practitioner services2662 Date of Service Edit: PolicyAnatomic Consideration
Facility outpatient hospital2662 Date of Service Edit: PolicyAnatomic Consideration
DME supplier2662 Date of Service Edit: PolicyAnatomic Consideration

NCCI edits and add-on relationships

No active practitioner PTP pair lists J0666 as a column-1 or column-2 code in v323r0. Drug supply codes are rarely bundled; the administration codes billed with them are where PTP edits usually apply.

J0666 is neither an add-on code nor a designated primary code in the 2026 Q4 NCCI add-on edit file.

Medicare coverage articles

No current Billing and Coding Article lists J0666 in its HCPCS table. Coverage then follows the drug's FDA label, compendia and any National Coverage Determination; check the Medicare Coverage Database before administering off-label.

Hospital outpatient (OPPS) status

In the July 2026 OPPS Addendum B, J0666 carries status indicator K1 and is assigned to APC 0763, with a published national unadjusted payment of $1.45. Consult the OPPS status indicator table for payment treatment.

Common denials for J0666 and how to prevent them

NDC missing, invalid or not matched to the HCPCS code

units billed exceed the MUE for the date of service

diagnosis not covered by the applicable coverage article or LCD

How QuickIntell checks J0666 before the claim leaves

QuickCode validates the NDC-to-unit conversion against the current ASP crosswalk, checks units against every published MUE setting and flags PTP and add-on conflicts on the same claim. QuickRCM routes CARC 16, 151 and 50 denials on drug lines with the matching coverage article attached so the appeal starts with evidence.

Frequently asked questions — HCPCS J0666

What does HCPCS code J0666 describe?

J0666 is defined by CMS as "Injection, bupivacaine liposome, 1 mg". Each billing unit represents 1 MG, so the units reported on the claim must equal the dose administered divided by that unit.

What is the Medicare reimbursement for J0666 in October 2026?

The ASP-based payment limit is $1.426 per 1 MG, with 20% beneficiary coinsurance. Medicare Administrative Contractors apply this limit; commercial payers use their own fee schedules. The July 2026 limit was $1.454.

How many units of J0666 can be billed per day?

The practitioner Medically Unlikely Edit is 266 units per date of service with adjudication indicator 2 (2 Date of Service Edit: Policy). MAI 2 edits are policy limits and are rarely overturned on appeal. CMS cites "Anatomic Consideration" as the rationale.

Which NDCs map to J0666?

The October 2026 ASP crosswalk lists 4 NDCs from 1 labeler: Exparel (Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.). For example NDC 65250-0133-04 is a 10 package equal to 532 billing units. The crosswalk's billing-units-per-package figure converts each package into J0666 units.

Does J0666 have NCCI bundling edits?

No active practitioner PTP pairs list J0666 as a column-1 or column-2 code in the v323r0 release. Unit limits (MUE) and medical-necessity coverage rules still apply.

Sources

Every figure on this page is taken from the CMS publications below, as released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Projection built 2026-10-01. Verify against the primary file before billing or contracting decisions.

Disclaimer

This page is an operational reference compiled from CMS publications: the Medicare Part B drug payment limit and NDC crosswalk files, NCCI MUE and add-on edit tables, aggregate PTP statistics, OPPS Addendum B and the Medicare Coverage Database. Payment limits are Medicare national amounts; commercial and Medicaid payers differ. CPT codes are shown as numbers only; CPT descriptors are copyright AMA. Nothing here is legal, clinical or billing advice.