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HCPCS J0884 · Level II · Part B drug

HCPCS J0884: Injection, argatroban, 1 mg (for esrd on dialysis)

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 J0884

Billing unit
1 MG
Argatroban esrd dialysis 1mg
ASP payment limit
$0.772
October 2026; -10.7% vs July 2026
Practitioner MUE
1125
MAI 3
OPPS status
SI N
NCCI exposure
no PTP pairs
Coverage articles
0
none list this code

TL;DR

HCPCS J0884 is the Level II code for Injection, argatroban, 1 mg (for esrd on dialysis), billed per 1 MG. The Medicare Part B ASP payment limit for October 2026 is $0.772 per billing unit, down 10.7% from July 2026. The practitioner MUE allows up to 1125 units per date of service (MAI 3). Under OPPS it carries status indicator N. Because the descriptor is specific to ESRD patients on dialysis, Medicare expects the drug inside the ESRD prospective payment bundle when furnished by the dialysis facility, and separate Part B billing applies only outside that setting. 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 10 NDCs to it, sold as Argatroban by Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Endo USA, Inc.. No current Billing and Coding Article lists J0884, 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 J0884 at $0.772 per 1 MG for October 2026, derived from manufacturer average sales price plus 6%, compared with $0.864 in July 2026. Beneficiary coinsurance is 20%.

ASP payment limits for J0884
QuarterPayment limitPerCoinsurance
October 2026$0.7721 MG20%
July 2026$0.8641 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 10 NDCs from 7 labelers to J0884. Report the NDC in the claim's drug segment and bill the number of J0884 units that equals the quantity administered divided by 1 MG; the last column gives units per full package.

NDCs that crosswalk to J0884
NDCDrug nameLabelerPackage sizeBilling units / package
00143-9377-01ArgatrobanHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.50 × 150
00143-9559-01ArgatrobanHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.50 × 150
00143-9674-01ArgatrobanHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.2.5 × 1250
25021-0414-50ArgatrobanSagent Pharmaceuticals50 × 150
42023-0182-01ArgatrobanEndo USA, Inc.2.5 × 1250
42023-0182-89ArgatrobanEndo USA, Inc.2.5 × 1250
65145-0126-01ArgatrobanCaplin Steriles USA Inc.50 × 150
65219-0429-50ArgatrobanFreseniUS Kabi USA, LLC50 × 150
67457-0212-02ArgatrobanMylan Institutional LLC2.5 × 1250
83301-0062-01ArgatrobanMullan Pharmaceutical Inc.50 × 150

Medically Unlikely Edits (MUE)

CMS publishes 3 MUE values for J0884. For practitioners the limit is 1125 units per date of service with adjudication indicator 3, a date-of-service clinical edit: units above the limit deny but can be paid on appeal with documentation that the quantity was medically reasonable.

MUE values for J0884 by setting
SettingMUE (units/DOS)MAICMS rationale
Practitioner services11253 Date of Service Edit: ClinicalPrescribing Information
Facility outpatient hospital12503 Date of Service Edit: ClinicalPrescribing Information
DME supplier03 Date of Service Edit: ClinicalCMS Policy

NCCI edits and add-on relationships

No active practitioner PTP pair lists J0884 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.

J0884 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 J0884 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, J0884 carries status indicator N. Status N means payment is packaged into the associated procedure and no separate OPPS payment is made.

Common denials for J0884 and how to prevent them

CARC 16 · M119

NDC missing, invalid or not matched to the HCPCS code

CARC 151 · N362

units billed exceed the MUE for the date of service

CARC 50 · N115

diagnosis not covered by the applicable coverage article or LCD

How QuickIntell checks J0884 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.

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Frequently asked questions — HCPCS J0884

What does HCPCS code J0884 describe?

J0884 is defined by CMS as "Injection, argatroban, 1 mg (for esrd on dialysis)". 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 J0884 in October 2026?

The ASP-based payment limit is $0.772 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 $0.864.

How many units of J0884 can be billed per day?

The practitioner Medically Unlikely Edit is 1125 units per date of service with adjudication indicator 3 (3 Date of Service Edit: Clinical). MAI 3 edits can be appealed with documentation that the units were medically reasonable. CMS cites "Prescribing Information" as the rationale.

Which NDCs map to J0884?

The October 2026 ASP crosswalk lists 10 NDCs from 7 labelers: Argatroban (Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.); Argatroban (Sagent Pharmaceuticals); Argatroban (Endo USA, Inc.); Argatroban (Caplin Steriles USA Inc.). For example NDC 00143-9377-01 is a 50 package equal to 50 billing units. The crosswalk's billing-units-per-package figure converts each package into J0884 units.

Does J0884 have NCCI bundling edits?

No active practitioner PTP pairs list J0884 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 2026-10-02. 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.