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HCPCS J2550 · Level II · Part B drug

HCPCS J2550: Injection, promethazine hcl, up to 50 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 J2550

Billing unit
50 MG
Promethazine hcl injection
ASP payment limit
$3.241
October 2026; -10.9% vs July 2026
Practitioner MUE
3
MAI 3
OPPS status
SI N
NCCI exposure
no PTP pairs
Coverage articles
0
none list this code

TL;DR

HCPCS J2550 is the Level II code for Injection, promethazine hcl, up to 50 mg, billed per 50 MG. The Medicare Part B ASP payment limit for October 2026 is $3.241 per billing unit, down 10.9% from July 2026. The practitioner MUE allows up to 3 units per date of service (MAI 3). Under OPPS it carries status indicator N. J2550 is billed in units of 50 MG; the quantity administered, the NDC package and the units on the claim must reconcile, which is the check that prevents CARC 16 and 151 returns on this line. The ASP crosswalk maps 23 NDCs to it, sold as Promethazine HCl, Phenergan by Henry Schein Inc., Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., XGen Pharmaceuticals DJB, Inc.. No current Billing and Coding Article lists J2550, 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 J2550 at $3.241 per 50 MG for October 2026, derived from manufacturer average sales price plus 6%, compared with $3.639 in July 2026. Beneficiary coinsurance is 20%.

ASP payment limits for J2550
QuarterPayment limitPerCoinsurance
October 2026$3.24150 MG20%
July 2026$3.63950 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 23 NDCs from 5 labelers to J2550. Report the NDC in the claim's drug segment and bill the number of J2550 units that equals the quantity administered divided by 50 MG; the last column gives units per full package.

NDCs that crosswalk to J2550
NDCDrug nameLabelerPackage sizeBilling units / package
00404-9940-01Promethazine HClHenry Schein Inc.1 × 11
00404-9941-01Promethazine HClHenry Schein Inc.1 × 11
00404-9942-01Promethazine HClHenry Schein Inc.1 × 11
00641-0928-25Promethazine HClHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.1 × 2513
00641-0929-25Promethazine HClHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.1 × 2525
00641-0948-35Promethazine HClHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.1 × 2513
00641-0949-35Promethazine HClHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.1 × 2525
00641-0955-25Promethazine HClHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.1 × 2513
00641-0956-25Promethazine HClHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.1 × 2525
00641-1495-35Promethazine HClHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.1 × 2513
00641-1496-35Promethazine HClHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.1 × 2525
00641-6082-25PhenerganHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.1 × 2513
00641-6083-25PhenerganHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.1 × 2525
00641-6084-25PhenerganHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.1 × 2513
00641-6085-25PhenerganHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.1 × 2525
00641-6208-25Promethazine HClHikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.1 × 2513
39822-5525-03Promethazine HClXGen Pharmaceuticals DJB, Inc.1 × 2513
39822-5550-06Promethazine HClXGen Pharmaceuticals DJB, Inc.1 × 2525
50090-0879-00Promethazine HClA-S Medication Solutions1 × 2525
51662-1247-01Promethazine HClHF Acquisition Co. LLC, DBA HealthFirst1 × 11
51662-1247-03Promethazine HClHF Acquisition Co. LLC, DBA HealthFirst1 × 2513
51662-1248-01Promethazine HClHF Acquisition Co. LLC, DBA HealthFirst1 × 11
51662-1248-03Promethazine HClHF Acquisition Co. LLC, DBA HealthFirst1 × 2525

Medically Unlikely Edits (MUE)

CMS publishes 3 MUE values for J2550. For practitioners the limit is 3 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 J2550 by setting
SettingMUE (units/DOS)MAICMS rationale
Practitioner services33 Date of Service Edit: ClinicalPrescribing Information
Facility outpatient hospital33 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 J2550 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.

J2550 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 J2550 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, J2550 carries status indicator N. Status N means payment is packaged into the associated procedure and no separate OPPS payment is made.

Common denials for J2550 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 J2550 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.

Explore QuickCodeExplore QuickRCMBook a demo

Frequently asked questions — HCPCS J2550

What does HCPCS code J2550 describe?

J2550 is defined by CMS as "Injection, promethazine hcl, up to 50 mg". Each billing unit represents 50 MG, so the units reported on the claim must equal the dose administered divided by that unit.

What is the Medicare reimbursement for J2550 in October 2026?

The ASP-based payment limit is $3.241 per 50 MG, with 20% beneficiary coinsurance. Medicare Administrative Contractors apply this limit; commercial payers use their own fee schedules. The July 2026 limit was $3.639.

How many units of J2550 can be billed per day?

The practitioner Medically Unlikely Edit is 3 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 J2550?

The October 2026 ASP crosswalk lists 23 NDCs from 5 labelers: Promethazine HCl (Henry Schein Inc.); Promethazine HCl (Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.); Phenergan (Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.); Promethazine HCl (XGen Pharmaceuticals DJB, Inc.). For example NDC 00404-9940-01 is a 1 package equal to 1 billing unit. The crosswalk's billing-units-per-package figure converts each package into J2550 units.

Does J2550 have NCCI bundling edits?

No active practitioner PTP pairs list J2550 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.