Radiology Coding Alert

Question: How should I report Omnipaque?

Idaho Subscriber

Answer: HCPCS includes three possible code choices:

• Q9965 -- Low osmolar contrast material; 100-199 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml

• Q9966 -- ... 200-299 mg/ml iodine concentration,per ml

• Q9967 -- ... 300-399 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml.

Coding is based on the strength or quantity of iodine (mg) in each milliliter (ml) injected, so verify the concentration and type of low osmolar contrast used. For example, the "300" in Omnipaque 300 refers to 300 mg/ml. That means that the appropriate code for Omnipaque 300 is Q9967 (... 300-399 mg/ml iodine concentration ...).

Unit check: The code descriptors indicate that you should report the codes "per ml." So for 100 ml of Omnipaque 300, you should report 100 units of Q9967.

Remember that you should bill for the Omnipaque only if your practice bears the cost.