J1890 — Injection, cephalothin sodium, up to 1 gram
J1890 is a HCPCS Level II code for injection, cephalothin sodium, up to 1 gram. It belongs to the Drugs Administered Other Than Oral Method section. It was terminated on March 31, 2025 and is not valid on new claims.
This code has been terminated
CMS terminated J1890 on March 31, 2025. 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 J1890
- Long descriptor
- Injection, cephalothin sodium, up to 1 gram
- Short descriptor
- Cephalothin sodium injection
- Added
- January 1, 1982
- Terminated
- March 31, 2025
- 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 J1890
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If J1890 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- J1833Injection, isavuconazonium, 1 mg
- J1834Injection, isoniazid, 1 mg
- J1835Injection, itraconazole, 50 mg
- J1836Injection, metronidazole, 10 mg
- J1837Injection, posaconazole, 1 mg
- J1840Injection, kanamycin sulfate, up to 500 mgterminated
- J1850Injection, kanamycin sulfate, up to 75 mgterminated
- J1885Injection, ketorolac tromethamine, per 15 mg
- J1920Injection, labetalol hydrochloride, 5 mg
- J1921Injection, labetalol hydrochloride (hikma), not therapeutically equivalent to j1920, 5 mg
- J1930Injection, lanreotide, 1 mg
- J1931Injection, laronidase, 0.1 mg
- J1932Injection, lanreotide, (cipla), 1 mg
- J1938Injection, furosemide, 1 mg
- J1939Injection, bumetanide, 0.5 mg
- J1940Injection, furosemide, up to 20 mgterminated
Questions about J1890
What is HCPCS code J1890?
J1890 is a HCPCS Level II code for injection, cephalothin sodium, up to 1 gram. It sits in the Drugs Administered Other Than Oral Method section.
Does Medicare cover J1890?
The CMS HCPCS file marks J1890 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 J1890 still valid?
No. J1890 was terminated on March 31, 2025 and should not be used on new claims.