Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: Depo-Medrol comes in three different strengths, but the code doesn't state how much is considered a dose. How do we convert dosages when reporting Depo-Medrol or other medications?

Mississippi Subscriber

Answer: Depo-Medrol comes in three strengths: 20 mg/mL, 40 mg/mL, and 80 mg/mL. Packaging is available in 1 mL, 5 mL, and 10 mLvolume vials and can be single dose (without any preservative) or multi-dose (with preservative) vials. HCPCS includes three Depo-Medrol codes to cover the different strengths:

• J1020 -- Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 20 mg
• >J1030 -- Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg
• J1040 -- Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 80 mg.

Conversion: First be aware that there is no difference between 1 mL and 1 cc. They are terms describing the volume of medication injected and are used interchangeably. Consider these examples:

• 1mL of 40 mg/mL equals 40 mg of the steroid, which leads to billing 1 unit of J1030
• 0.5cc of 40 mg/mL equals 20 mg Depo-Medrol, or code 1 unit of J1020
• 2 cc of 40 mg/mL equals 80 mg of Depo-Medrol or 1 unit of J1040.