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Contrast agent codes

14 Part B drug codes in this drug class with October 2026 Medicare payment limits, practitioner MUE values, NCCI column-2 exposure and the number of Medicare coverage articles that list each code. Open a code for its NDC billing-unit conversions, every MUE setting and the denial codes to expect.

Compiled from CMS files by the QuickIntell RCM Editorial Team · Data effective · Method: reference methodology · Report a data correction

Data currency: ASP payment limits: October 2026 (effective October 1, 2026); NCCI MUE tables: 2026 Q4 (effective October 1, 2026); NCCI PTP edits: v323r0 (2026 Q4) (effective October 1, 2026); OPPS Addendum B: October 2026 (effective October 1, 2026). Next CMS release: January 1, 2027 (quarterly update).

Most searched codes in this drug class

Monthly US Google searches for the bare code (Google Ads, October 2026) show which entries coders and billers look up most; demand is one input to the index decision for each page and to which pages the hubs link first.

Contrast agent codes: codes with the most Google searches
CodeDescriptionPayment limitSearches / month
Q9967Locm 300-399mg/ml iodine,1ml$0.1861,000
A9575Inj gadoterate meglumi 0.1ml$0.105210
A9585Gadobutrol injection$0.235170
Q9966Locm 200-299mg/ml iodine,1ml$0.421170
A9573Inj, gadopiclenol, 1 ml$3.222110
A9579Gad-base mr contrast nos,1ml$1.43590
A9577Inj multihance$1.80470
Q9963Hocm 350-399mg/ml iodine,1ml$0.21940
A9576Inj prohance multipack$1.34530
A9581Gadoxetate disodium inj$14.4730

Codes in this drug class

14 of the 14 codes carry a published October 2026 ASP payment limit; the remaining codes are priced by contractors or carry a limit of zero in the file. The table lists the 14 codes whose reference pages are indexed.

Part B drug codes in Contrast agent codes with an indexed reference page
CodeDescriptorUnitLimitMUECol-2 pairsArticles
A9573Injection, gadopiclenol, 1 ml1 ML$3.22218——
A9575Injection, gadoterate meglumine, 0.1 ml0.1 ML$0.105300——
A9576Injection, gadoteridol, (prohance multipack), per ml1 ML$1.345100——
A9577Injection, gadobenate dimeglumine (multihance), per ml1 ML$1.80450——
A9578Injection, gadobenate dimeglumine (multihance multipack), per ml1 ML$1.69750——
A9579Injection, gadolinium-based magnetic resonance contrast agent, not otherwise specified (nos), per ml1 ML$1.435100——
A9581Injection, gadoxetate disodium, 1 ml1 ML$14.4720——
A9585Injection, gadobutrol, 0.1 ml0.1 ML$0.235300—yes
Q9958High osmolar contrast material, up to 149 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml1 ML$0.083004—
Q9961High osmolar contrast material, 250-299 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml1 ML$0.2052002—
Q9963High osmolar contrast material, 350-399 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml1 ML$0.219240——
Q9965Low osmolar contrast material, 100-199 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml1 ML$1.7872507—
Q9966Low osmolar contrast material, 200-299 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml1 ML$0.4212506—
Q9967Low osmolar contrast material, 300-399 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml1 ML$0.1863005—

How to read this table

The limit is the Medicare Part B payment allowance per billing unit for the quarter shown, not per dose: multiply it by the units that the administered quantity divided by the descriptor unit produces. Codes marked OPPS have no ASP limit and show the hospital outpatient rate per unit instead. The MUE column is the practitioner-setting Medically Unlikely Edit, the maximum units CMS expects on one date of service; facility and DME limits can differ and appear on each code page. Column-2 pairs counts the active NCCI procedure-to-procedure edits in which the code is the bundled component, and Articles marks codes that at least one Medicare Administrative Contractor lists in a current Billing and Coding Article with covered diagnosis codes. Codes without a published limit are contractor-priced or carry a zero limit in the CMS file.

In QuickIntell research

Where QuickIntell fits in drug billing

QuickCode supports qualified coder review of the units, NDC and edit questions these tables answer before the claim leaves, and QuickRCM carries the claim-readiness and denial work for drug lines with human review.

See QuickCode for drug-line codingSee QuickRCMBook a meeting

Frequently asked questions

How many codes are in contrast agent codes?

14 Part B drug codes in this drug class: 14 carry an ASP payment limit in the October 2026 file; 14 have enough joined CMS data (MUE, NCCI, OPPS, ASC or coverage) to be published as full reference pages.

Which payers use these payment limits?

Medicare Part B contractors apply the ASP limits directly. Medicaid programs and commercial payers publish their own fee schedules, which often reference ASP but at different percentages.

Why do some codes show no MUE?

CMS withholds some MUE values as confidential and applies them without publication; others have no unit limit. A code with no published MUE can still deny for units when the quantity is implausible for the dose.

Sources

Every figure on this page is taken from the CMS publications below, as released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Projection built 2026-10-10. Verify against the primary file before billing or contracting decisions. The reference methodology explains how each figure is computed from these files.

Disclaimer

Operational reference compiled from CMS publications. Payment limits are Medicare national amounts; other payers differ. CPT codes appear as numbers only. Not legal, clinical or billing advice.

Found a figure that does not match the CMS file? Report a data correction with the CMS file and the value you expected; the request reaches the editorial team through the contact form.