E0218 — Fluid circulating cold pad with pump, any type
E0218 is a HCPCS Level II code for fluid circulating cold pad with pump, any type. It belongs to the Durable Medical Equipment 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 E0218 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
- 0 — never payable MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · CMS Policy
- outpatient
- 0 — never payable MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · CMS Policy
- DME supplier
- 1 unit MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction
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 E0218
- Long descriptor
- Fluid circulating cold pad with pump, any type
- Short descriptor
- Fluid circ cold pad w pump
- Added
- January 1, 1997
- BETOS
- D1E
- Pricing indicator
- 36 — DMEPOS
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.
Capped rental DME. Price subject to floors and ceilings.
Codes adjacent to E0218
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If E0218 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- E0200Heat lamp, without stand (table model), includes bulb, or infrared element
- E0201Penile contracture device, manual, greater than 3 lbs traction force
- E0202Phototherapy (bilirubin) light with photometer
- E0203Therapeutic lightbox, minimum 10,000 lux, table top model
- E0205Heat lamp, with stand, includes bulb, or infrared element
- E0210Electric heat pad, standard
- E0215Electric heat pad, moist
- E0217Water circulating heat pad with pump
- E0221Infrared heating pad system
- E0225Hydrocollator unit, includes pads
- E0231Non-contact wound warming device (temperature control unit, ac adapter and power cord) for use with warming card and wound cover
- E0232Warming card for use with the non contact wound warming device and non contact wound warming wound cover
- E0235Paraffin bath unit, portable (see medical supply code a4265 for paraffin)
- E0236Pump for water circulating pad
- E0239Hydrocollator unit, portable
- E0240Bath/shower chair, with or without wheels, any size
Questions about E0218
What is HCPCS code E0218?
E0218 is a HCPCS Level II code for fluid circulating cold pad with pump, any type. It sits in the Durable Medical Equipment section.
Does Medicare cover E0218?
The CMS HCPCS file marks E0218 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.