L8690 — Auditory osseointegrated device, includes all internal and external components
L8690 is a HCPCS Level II code for auditory osseointegrated device, includes all internal and external components. It belongs to the Orthotic and Prosthetic Procedures and Devices section. Whether Medicare pays it depends on the coverage rule below.
Medicare coverage: Carrier judgment
Coverage is decided by your Medicare contractor, not by national policy. Whether this is paid depends on the LCD for your jurisdiction and on what the documentation supports.
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 L8690 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
- 2 units MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction
- outpatient
- 2 units MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction
- DME supplier
- 0 — never payable MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · CMS Policy
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 L8690
- Long descriptor
- Auditory osseointegrated device, includes all internal and external components
- Short descriptor
- Aud osseo dev, int/ext comp
- Added
- January 1, 2007
- BETOS
- D1F
- Pricing indicator
- 38 — 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.
Orthotics, prosthetics, prosthetic devices and vision services. Price subject to floors and ceilings.
Codes adjacent to L8690
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If L8690 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- L8682Implantable neurostimulator radiofrequency receiver
- L8683Radiofrequency transmitter (external) for use with implantable neurostimulator radiofrequency receiver
- L8684Radiofrequency transmitter (external) for use with implantable sacral root neurostimulator receiver for bowel and bladder management, replacement
- L8685Implantable neurostimulator pulse generator, single array, rechargeable, includes extension
- L8686Implantable neurostimulator pulse generator, single array, non-rechargeable, includes extension
- L8687Implantable neurostimulator pulse generator, dual array, rechargeable, includes extension
- L8688Implantable neurostimulator pulse generator, dual array, non-rechargeable, includes extension
- L8689External recharging system for battery (internal) for use with implantable neurostimulator, replacement only
- L8691Auditory osseointegrated device, external sound processor, excludes transducer/actuator, replacement only, each
- L8692Auditory osseointegrated device, external sound processor, used without osseointegration, body worn, includes headband or other means of external attachment
- L8693Auditory osseointegrated device abutment, any length, replacement only
- L8694Auditory osseointegrated device, transducer/actuator, replacement only, each
- L8695External recharging system for battery (external) for use with implantable neurostimulator, replacement only
- L8696Antenna (external) for use with implantable diaphragmatic/phrenic nerve stimulation device, replacement, each
- L8698Miscellaneous component, supply or accessory for use with total artificial heart system
- L8699Prosthetic implant, not otherwise specified
Questions about L8690
What is HCPCS code L8690?
L8690 is a HCPCS Level II code for auditory osseointegrated device, includes all internal and external components. It sits in the Orthotic and Prosthetic Procedures and Devices section.
Does Medicare cover L8690?
The CMS HCPCS file marks L8690 as "Carrier judgment". Coverage is decided by your Medicare contractor, not by national policy. Whether this is paid depends on the LCD for your jurisdiction and on what the documentation supports.