P9050 — Granulocytes, pheresis, each unit
P9050 is a HCPCS Level II code for granulocytes, pheresis, each unit. It belongs to the Pathology and Laboratory Services 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.
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 P9050 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 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Clinical: CMS Workgroup
- outpatient
- 1 unit MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Clinical: Data
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 P9050
- Long descriptor
- Granulocytes, pheresis, each unit
- Short descriptor
- Granulocytes, pheresis unit
- Added
- January 1, 2002
- BETOS
- Z2
- Pricing indicator
- 52 — 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.
Reasonable charge.
Codes adjacent to P9050
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If P9050 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- P9040Red blood cells, leukocytes reduced, irradiated, each unit
- P9041Infusion, albumin (human), 5%, 50 ml
- P9043Infusion, plasma protein fraction (human), 5%, 50 ml
- P9044Plasma, cryoprecipitate reduced, each unit
- P9045Infusion, albumin (human), 5%, 250 ml
- P9046Infusion, albumin (human), 25%, 20 ml
- P9047Infusion, albumin (human), 25%, 50 ml
- P9048Infusion, plasma protein fraction (human), 5%, 250 ml
- P9051Whole blood or red blood cells, leukocytes reduced, cmv-negative, each unit
- P9052Platelets, hla-matched leukocytes reduced, apheresis/pheresis, each unit
- P9053Platelets, pheresis, leukocytes reduced, cmv-negative, irradiated, each unit
- P9054Whole blood or red blood cells, leukocytes reduced, frozen, deglycerol, washed, each unit
- P9055Platelets, leukocytes reduced, cmv-negative, apheresis/pheresis, each unit
- P9056Whole blood, leukocytes reduced, irradiated, each unit
- P9057Red blood cells, frozen/deglycerolized/washed, leukocytes reduced, irradiated, each unit
- P9058Red blood cells, leukocytes reduced, cmv-negative, irradiated, each unit
Questions about P9050
What is HCPCS code P9050?
P9050 is a HCPCS Level II code for granulocytes, pheresis, each unit. It sits in the Pathology and Laboratory Services section.
Does Medicare cover P9050?
The CMS HCPCS file marks P9050 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.
How is P9050 paid under the physician fee schedule?
P9050 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.