C1886 — Catheter, extravascular tissue ablation, any modality (insertable)
C1886 is a HCPCS Level II code for catheter, extravascular tissue ablation, any modality (insertable). 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 C1886 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 Service/Procedure
- outpatient
- 1 unit MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Nature of Service/Procedure
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 C1886
- Long descriptor
- Catheter, extravascular tissue ablation, any modality (insertable)
- Short descriptor
- Catheter, ablation
- Added
- January 1, 2012
- BETOS
- D1A
- 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 C1886
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If C1886 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- C1877Stent, non-coated/non-covered, without delivery system
- C1878Material for vocal cord medialization, synthetic (implantable)
- C1880Vena cava filter
- C1881Dialysis access system (implantable)
- C1882Cardioverter-defibrillator, other than single or dual chamber (implantable)
- C1883Adapter/extension, pacing lead or neurostimulator lead (implantable)
- C1884Embolization protective system
- C1885Catheter, transluminal angioplasty, laser
- C1887Catheter, guiding (may include infusion/perfusion capability)
- C1888Catheter, ablation, non-cardiac, endovascular (implantable)
- C1889Implantable/insertable device, not otherwise classified
- C1890No implantable/insertable device used with device-intensive procedures
- C1891Infusion pump, non-programmable, permanent (implantable)
- C1892Introducer/sheath, guiding, intracardiac electrophysiological, fixed-curve, peel-away
- C1893Introducer/sheath, guiding, intracardiac electrophysiological, fixed-curve, other than peel-away
- C1894Introducer/sheath, other than guiding, other than intracardiac electrophysiological, non-laser
Questions about C1886
What is HCPCS code C1886?
C1886 is a HCPCS Level II code for catheter, extravascular tissue ablation, any modality (insertable). It sits in the Outpatient Prospective Payment System section.
Does Medicare cover C1886?
The CMS HCPCS file marks C1886 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.