Q0091: Screening papanicolaou smear; obtaining, preparing and conveyance of cervical or vaginal smear to laboratory
Q0091 is a HCPCS Level II code for screening papanicolaou smear; obtaining, preparing and conveyance of cervical or vaginal smear to laboratory. It belongs to the Temporary Codes 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 2026Q4-Oct. This states Medicare’s position on the code, not on your particular claim.
Physician fee schedule statusA
Active code. Paid separately under the physician fee schedule.
- Work RVU
- 0.36
- PE (non-facility)
- 0.99
- PE (facility)
- 0.08
- Malpractice RVU
- 0.03
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 Q0091 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 · Anatomic Consideration
- outpatient
- 1 unit MAI 3: Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Anatomic Consideration
- 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 2026Q4.
The CMS record for Q0091
- Long descriptor
- Screening papanicolaou smear; obtaining, preparing and conveyance of cervical or vaginal smear to laboratory
- Short descriptor
- Obtaining screen pap smear
- Added
- January 1, 1992
- BETOS
- P6C
- Pricing indicator
- 11: Physician fee schedule
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.
Price established using national RVUs.
Codes adjacent to Q0091
HCPCS has no hierarchy: related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If Q0091 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- P9604Travel allowance one way in connection with medically necessary laboratory specimen collection drawn from home bound or nursing home bound patient; prorated trip charge
- P9612Catheterization for collection of specimen, single patient, all places of service
- P9615Catheterization for collection of specimen(s) (multiple patients)
- Q0035Cardiokymography
- Q0081Infusion therapy, using other than chemotherapeutic drugs, per visit
- Q0083Chemotherapy administration by other than infusion technique only (e.g., subcutaneous, intramuscular, push), per visit
- Q0084Chemotherapy administration by infusion technique only, per visit
- Q0085Chemotherapy administration by both infusion technique and other technique(s) (e.g., subcutaneous, intramuscular, push), per visit
- Q0092Set-up portable x-ray equipment
- Q0111Wet mounts, including preparations of vaginal, cervical or skin specimens
- Q0112All potassium hydroxide (koh) preparations
- Q0113Pinworm examinations
- Q0114Fern test
- Q0115Post-coital direct, qualitative examinations of vaginal or cervical mucous
- Q0138Injection, ferumoxytol, for treatment of iron deficiency anemia, 1 mg (non-esrd use)
- Q0139Injection, ferumoxytol, for treatment of iron deficiency anemia, 1 mg (for esrd on dialysis)