J1020 — Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 20 mg
J1020 is a HCPCS Level II code for injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 20 mg. It belongs to the Drugs Administered Other Than Oral Method section. It was terminated on March 31, 2024 and is not valid on new claims.
This code has been terminated
CMS terminated J1020 on March 31, 2024. It stays in the file as history — a claim you are auditing from before that date may legitimately carry it — but it must not appear on a new claim. The adjacent codes below are the usual place to look for its replacement.
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.
The CMS record for J1020
- Long descriptor
- Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 20 mg
- Short descriptor
- Methylprednisolone 20 mg inj
- Added
- January 1, 1982
- Terminated
- March 31, 2024
- BETOS
- O1E
- Pricing indicator
- 51 — 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.
When CMS retired it.
Berenson-Eggers Type of Service — CMS's own analytic grouping.
Drugs.
Codes adjacent to J1020
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If J1020 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- J0898Injection, argatroban (auromedics), not therapeutically equivalent to j0883, 1 mg (for non-esrd use)
- J0899Injection, argatroban (auromedics), not therapeutically equivalent to j0884, 1 mg (for esrd on dialysis)
- J0900Injection, testosterone enanthate and estradiol valerate, up to 1 ccterminated
- J0901Vadadustat, oral, 1 mg (for esrd on dialysis)
- J0911Instillation, taurolidine 1.35 mg and heparin sodium 100 units (central venous catheter lock for adult patients receiving chronic hemodialysis)
- J0945Injection, brompheniramine maleate, per 10 mg
- J1000Injection, depo-estradiol cypionate, up to 5 mg
- J1010Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 1 mg
- J1030Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mgterminated
- J1040Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 80 mgterminated
- J1050Injection, medroxyprogesterone acetate, 1 mg
- J1060Injection, testosterone cypionate and estradiol cypionate, up to 1 mlterminated
- J1070Injection, testosterone cypionate, up to 100 mgterminated
- J1071Injection, testosterone cypionate, 1 mg
- J1072Injection, testosterone cypionate (azmiro), 1 mg
- J1073Testosterone pellet, implant, 75 mg
Questions about J1020
What is HCPCS code J1020?
J1020 is a HCPCS Level II code for injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 20 mg. It sits in the Drugs Administered Other Than Oral Method section.
Does Medicare cover J1020?
The CMS HCPCS file marks J1020 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.
Is J1020 still valid?
No. J1020 was terminated on March 31, 2024 and should not be used on new claims.