C1738 — Powered, single-use (i.e. disposable) endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy device
C1738 is a HCPCS Level II code for powered, single-use (i.e. disposable) endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy device. It belongs to the Outpatient Prospective Payment System section. Whether Medicare pays it depends on the coverage rule below.
Medicare coverage: Special coverage instructions apply
There are published conditions attached to this code. Check the applicable coverage policy before billing it: the code being valid is not the same as the service being covered.
From the coverage field of the CMS Alpha-Numeric HCPCS File, release 2026Q3-Jul. This states Medicare’s position on the code, not on your particular claim.
Medically Unlikely Edits — units per day
The most units of C1738 Medicare will pay on one date of service. Bill more on a single line and it is denied. The limit is not the same in every setting, so the row that matters is the one matching the claim you are building.
- practitioner
- 1 unit MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Nature of Equipment
- outpatient
- 1 unit MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Nature of Equipment
The adjudication indicator decides whether exceeding the limit is worth appealing at all: MAI 1 is a line edit you can support with documentation, MAI 3 is a date-of-service edit that is also appealable, and MAI 2 is absolute — no documentation overrides it. CMS MUE 2026Q3.
The CMS record for C1738
- Long descriptor
- Powered, single-use (i.e. disposable) endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy device
- Short descriptor
- Power endo us-guid bx dev
- Added
- January 1, 2025
- BETOS
- P8I
- Pricing indicator
- 53 — Other
The official wording. This is what the code means.
CMS's 28-character form, which is what shows up on a remittance advice.
When CMS introduced the code.
Berenson-Eggers Type of Service — CMS's own analytic grouping.
Statute.
Codes adjacent to C1738
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If C1738 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- C1730Catheter, electrophysiology, diagnostic, other than 3d mapping (19 or fewer electrodes)
- C1731Catheter, electrophysiology, diagnostic, other than 3d mapping (20 or more electrodes)
- C1732Catheter, electrophysiology, diagnostic/ablation, 3d or vector mapping
- C1733Catheter, electrophysiology, diagnostic/ablation, other than 3d or vector mapping, other than cool-tip
- C1734Orthopedic/device/drug matrix for opposing bone-to-bone or soft tissue-to bone (implantable)
- C1735Catheter(s), intravascular for renal denervation, radiofrequency, including all single use system components
- C1736Catheter(s), intravascular for renal denervation, ultrasound, including all single use system components
- C1737Joint fusion and fixation device(s), sacroiliac and pelvis, including all system components (implantable)
- C1739Tissue marker, uniquely detectable and identifiable with probe/sensor, any method (implantable), with delivery system
- C1740Leadless electrode, transmitter, battery (all implantable), for sequential left ventricular pacing
- C1741Anchor/screw for bone fixation, absorbable, metallic (implantable)
- C1742Pressure monitoring system, compartmental intramuscular (implantable), continuous, including all components (e.g., introducer, sensor), excludes mobile (wireless) software application
- C1743Scaffold, endovascular non-coronary, resorbable drug eluting, with delivery system (implantable)
- C1747Endoscope, single-use (i.e. disposable), urinary tract, imaging/illumination device (insertable)
- C1748Endoscope, single-use (i.e. disposable), upper gi, imaging/illumination device (insertable)
- C1749Endoscope, retrograde imaging/illumination colonoscope device (implantable)
Questions about C1738
What is HCPCS code C1738?
C1738 is a HCPCS Level II code for powered, single-use (i.e. disposable) endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy device. It sits in the Outpatient Prospective Payment System section.
Does Medicare cover C1738?
The CMS HCPCS file marks C1738 as "Special coverage instructions apply". There are published conditions attached to this code. Check the applicable coverage policy before billing it: the code being valid is not the same as the service being covered.