P2029 — Congo red, blood
P2029 is a HCPCS Level II code for congo red, blood. It belongs to the Pathology and Laboratory Services 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.
Physician fee schedule statusX
Statutory exclusion. The item or service is not within the statutory definition of 'physician services', so the fee schedule never pays it.
Global period: XXX
Want the dollar amount for your locality? The fee calculator applies your GPCI and the current conversion factor.
Medically Unlikely Edits — units per day
The most units of P2029 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 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · CMS Policy
- outpatient
- 1 unit MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · 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 P2029
- Long descriptor
- Congo red, blood
- Short descriptor
- Congo red blood test
- Added
- January 1, 1986
- BETOS
- T1H
- Pricing indicator
- 57 — 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.
Other carrier priced.
Codes adjacent to P2029
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If P2029 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- M1497Documentation of falls not performed due to medical reasons (e.g., syncope, vertigo and related disorders, restless leg syndrome, tourette syndrome/tic disorder, back pain, concussion/mild traumatic brain injury (mtbi), cervical dystonia, or epilepsy)
- M1498Diagnostic radiology mips value pathway
- M1499Interventional radiology mips value pathway
- M1500Neuropsychology mips value pathway
- M1501Pathology mips value pathway
- M1502Podiatry mips value pathway
- M1503Vascular surgery mips value pathway
- P2028Cephalin floculation, blood
- P2031Hair analysis (excluding arsenic)
- P2033Thymol turbidity, blood
- P2038Mucoprotein, blood (seromucoid) (medical necessity procedure)
- P3000Screening papanicolaou smear, cervical or vaginal, up to three smears, by technician under physician supervision
- P3001Screening papanicolaou smear, cervical or vaginal, up to three smears, requiring interpretation by physician
- P7001Culture, bacterial, urine; quantitative, sensitivity study
- P9010Blood (whole), for transfusion, per unit
- P9011Blood, split unit
Questions about P2029
What is HCPCS code P2029?
P2029 is a HCPCS Level II code for congo red, blood. It sits in the Pathology and Laboratory Services section.
Does Medicare cover P2029?
The CMS HCPCS file marks P2029 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.
How is P2029 paid under the physician fee schedule?
P2029 carries PFS status code X. Statutory exclusion. The item or service is not within the statutory definition of 'physician services', so the fee schedule never pays it.