Q9956
Q9956 – Injection, octafluoropropane microspheres, per ml · NDC Crosswalk & Billing Units
HCPCS Level II Q-code · Medicare Part B drug billing
Q-code
● 2 NDCs crosswalked per 1 ML $40.854/unit ASP+6%
📋 Q9956 summary
Q9956 is a HCPCS Level II Q-code used to bill octafluoropropane microspheres, per ml, billed per 1 ML. The number of billing units to report depends on the dose administered and the NDC/package billed — use the calculator below.
Brand names associated with Q9956: Optison, Optison Perflutren Protein-Type A Microspheres
Code Q9956
Billing unit 1 ML Payment limit $40.854/unit NDC-Crosswalk 2
Quarter Q3 2026
RxCUI Atlas Trace the drug concept →
⚠ An NDC↔HCPCS crosswalk and a published payment limit do not guarantee payer coverage or payment. Always verify the current payer policy and claim format before billing.
🗂️ Key billing facts
HCPCS codeQ9956
DescriptorInjection, octafluoropropane microspheres, per ml
Billing unit1 ML
Payment limit / unit$40.854
Est. ASP / unit$38.542 est.
Mapped NDCs2
Data periodQ3 2026
Last updated2026-08-20
🧾 Billing & reimbursement HCPCS · CMS · EFF. Q3 2026
📅 Payment limits effective Q3 2026 — from the CMS Medicare Part B Payment Limit File (revised quarterly).
Medicare payment limit / unit
$40.854
Est. ASP / unit
$38.542 est.
Est. after 2% sequester
$40.037
HCPCS dosage
1 ML
The CMS payment limit is the Medicare Part B drug allowance (ASP + 6%, statutory). After the 2% federal sequester the effective payment is ≈ ASP + 4.3%; estimated ASP = payment limit ÷ 1.06. Source: CMS Medicare Part B Payment Limit File (quarterly), Q3 2026.
Full HCPCS code details (official CMS record)
Long descriptionInjection, octafluoropropane microspheres, per ml
CoverageC — Carrier/MAC judgment
Pricing indicator57
Type of service4
BETOS-2I1F
ASC payment group—
Action codeN — No maintenance this year
Effective date2005-04-01
Date added2005-04-01
Source: CMS HCPCS Level II code file (imported via admin).
🧮 Dosing & billing-units calculator HCPCS UNITS
One billing unit of Q9956 = 1 ml. Enter a regimen to convert dose → billing units and project a full course.
Billing units = dose ÷ HCPCS unit size. Most payers require whole units — round per the payer's policy. “Est. Medicare pay” uses the current payment limit. For single-dose vials, drug discarded after administration may be separately billable with modifier JW (JZ when none is discarded) where allowed. Always verify payer-specific rounding before billing.
🔁 NDCs that bill under Q9956 WITH EST. MEDICARE PAY
2 NDCs map to Q9956. Bill units = how many HCPCS units one package represents. Est. pay / pkg = payment limit ($40.854/unit) × that package's bill units.
| NDC (11-digit) | Drug | Labeler | Package | Strength | Bill units | Est. pay / pkg | NADAC / unit | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00407-2707-03 | Optison Perflutren Protein-Type A Microspheres Human Albumin Microspheres and 10 mg/mL; .22 mg/mL INJECTION, SOLUTION | GE | 5 VIAL, SINGLE-USE in 1 CARTON (0407-2707-... | 10 mg/mL; .22 mg/mL | 15 | $612.81 | — | ● Active | CMS ASP |
| 00407-2707-18 | Optison Perflutren Protein-Type A Microspheres Human Albumin Microspheres and 10 mg/mL; .22 mg/mL INJECTION, SOLUTION | GE | 18 VIAL, SINGLE-USE in 1 CARTON (0407-2707... | 10 mg/mL; .22 mg/mL | 54 | $2,206.12 | — | ● Active | CMS ASP |
NDC→HCPCS mappings come from the CMS ASP NDC-HCPCS crosswalk; additional DME MAC / DMEPOS mappings come from PDAC and are labeled separately. NADAC from CMS (weekly). “Status” reflects the product's marketing / obsolete flag in the NDC directory. Presence or absence here does not determine Medicare coverage. Linked NDCs open the full product page.
📊 Medicare utilization & spend CMS · PART B · 2026 (Q1)
Period
Total Part B spend
$225.5K
Claims
2,093
Beneficiaries
2,078
Spend / beneficiary
$108.50
Spend / claim
$107.72
Trend by period
Where Q9956 ranks among Part B drugs · 2026 (Q1) · neighbors ±5
Total spending — #515 of 824
#510
EPIEFFECT, PER SQ CM... Q4278
$240.8K
#511
CEFTRIAXONE J0696
$239.8K
#512
KHAPZORY J0642
$235.8K
#513
CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE(J85... J8530
$233.2K
#514
LEUKINE J2820
$227.5K
#515
OPTISON Q9956
$225.5K
#516
BRIXADI(J0578) J0578
$220.9K
#517
XWRAP DUAL, PER SQ C... Q4358
$220.2K
#518
CYANOCOBALAMIN INJEC... J3420
$219.2K
#519
ALBUKED-25(P9046)* P9046
$215K
#520
PRIMATRIX** Q4110
$215K
Total claims — #309 of 824
#304
AVGEMSI J9184
2,143
#305
FERRLECIT* J2916
2,139
#306
CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE(J85... J8530
2,107
#307
XEMBIFY J1558
2,103
#308
CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE(J90... J9071
2,094
#309
OPTISON Q9956
2,093
#310
DOCIVYX J9172
2,049
#311
GAMMAGARD S-D J1566
2,043
#312
ZEPZELCA J9223
2,021
#313
PALINGEN OR PALINGEN... Q4173
2,012
#314
NYVEPRIA Q5122
2,011
Top Medicare Part B drugs by the selected metric. Click any drug to open its J-code page. Source: CMS Medicare Quarterly Part B Spending by Drug.
Full breakdown by period (2)
| Period | Total spend | Beneficiaries | Claims | $/beneficiary | $/claim |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Q1) | $225.5K | 2,078 | 2,093 | $108.50 | $107.72 |
| 2025 (Q1-Q4) | $825.1K | 7,171 | 7,482 | $115.06 | $110.27 |
Provider-administered (Part B) spend, calculated for the whole HCPCS code (CMS does not publish Medicare spend per individual NDC). Self-administered use is covered under Part D instead. A blank patient count means fewer than 11 people — CMS hides counts that small to protect privacy. Source: CMS Medicare Quarterly Part B Spending by Drug (data.cms.gov), updated quarterly.
📈 Medicare Part B claims detail CMS PSPS · 2024
Calendar-year 2024 Medicare Part B fee-for-service activity for this HCPCS code, summed across all carriers, localities and specialties (CMS Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary). A “service” is one billed line/unit — not one claim — so counts run higher than claim counts.
Allowed charges
$827.9K
Medicare paid
$640.7K
Submitted services
20,779
Denial rate
2.6%
Allowed / service
$40.91
Submitted charges
$2.7M
Source: CMS Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary (PSPS), CY2024 — Medicare Part B carrier + DME fee-for-service claims (excludes Medicare Advantage). Figures are for the whole HCPCS code, which may cover uses beyond this drug. ⚠ CMS hides any figure covering fewer than 11 patients (a privacy rule), so totals — especially denials and low-volume codes — run a little low.
🗺️ Where Q9956 is utilized CMS · BY PROVIDER · 2024
Medicare Part B services for this code by the rendering provider's state — 14,280 services across 18 states & territories in 2024 (CMS reports include DC and U.S. territories). Switch to per 100k to compare states fairly regardless of population. Hover or tap a state for its top ZIP codes.
Hover or tap a state to see its numbers + top ZIP codes.
Per-capita = services ÷ 2023 state population × 100,000 (so high-population states aren't automatically "hotter"). Counts reflect the provider's location, not the patient's. Providers with fewer than 11 patients are hidden by CMS for privacy, so totals run low and per-100k can be noisy in small states — read this as relative geography, not exact counts. Source: CMS Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners — by Provider and Service, 2024.
🗃️ Data sources & freshness
Every figure on this page is computed from public datasets. Here's what each section draws on and how current it is.
HCPCS code & descriptor
CMS HCPCS Level II code file
Loaded
Payment limit & billing unit
CMS Medicare Part B ASP Pricing File (quarterly)
Q3 2026 · as of 2026-08-20
NDC ↔ HCPCS crosswalk
CMS ASP NDC-HCPCS crosswalk
2 NDCs mapped
NADAC acquisition cost
CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (weekly)
Not available for mapped NDCs
Utilization & spend
CMS Part B Spending by Drug · PSPS · Physician & Other Practitioners
Latest data year 2026
Figures are estimates for reference and may lag the source files. Always verify against the current CMS files and your payer's policy before submitting claims.
⚠️ Practical billing caveats
- A crosswalk is not coverage. An NDC mapping or a published payment limit does not guarantee a payer will cover or pay this code. Check the specific plan's policy.
- Units ≠ milligrams. Bill the number of HCPCS units (dose ÷ the code's unit size), not the milligram dose. Use the calculator above.
- Discarded drug. For single-dose vials, drug discarded after administration may be separately billable with modifier JW (and JZ when nothing is discarded) where the payer allows.
- Rounding & partial units. Many payers require whole units; round per the payer's policy, not automatically up.
- The code can cover more than this drug. Some HCPCS codes span multiple products or strengths — confirm the exact code for the product administered.
- Figures lag. ASP limits change quarterly and utilization data are released with a delay. Verify against the current CMS files before billing.
❓ Q9956 billing FAQ
What is HCPCS code Q9956?
Q9956 is a HCPCS Level II Q-code used to bill Injection, octafluoropropane microspheres, per ml under Medicare Part B and most medical (not pharmacy) benefits.
What is the billing unit for Q9956?
One unit of Q9956 represents 1 ML. Report the number of units equal to the dose administered divided by 1 ML.
How many units of Q9956 should I bill?
Divide the dose administered by the code's unit size (1 ML) to get the number of billing units, then round per your payer's policy. The calculator on this page converts a dose into billing units and projects a full course.
How much does Medicare pay for Q9956?
The Medicare Part B payment limit is $40.854 per unit (Q3 2026), based on ASP + 6%. After the 2% sequester the effective payment is about $40.037 per unit. Payment limits are revised quarterly.
Which NDCs bill under Q9956?
2 NDCs currently map to Q9956 in the CMS ASP NDC-HCPCS crosswalk. See the NDC crosswalk table above for each product, package, billing units and estimated reimbursement.
Does a crosswalk mean Q9956 is covered?
No. An NDC-to-HCPCS crosswalk and a published payment limit do not guarantee coverage or payment. Coverage depends on the payer, the diagnosis and the site of care — always verify the current policy before billing.
For professional billing reference only — verify against the current CMS files before submitting claims.