Q0115 — Post-coital direct, qualitative examinations of vaginal or cervical mucous
Q0115 is a HCPCS Level II code for post-coital direct, qualitative examinations of vaginal or cervical mucous. It belongs to the Temporary Codes 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 Q0115 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: Data
- outpatient
- 1 unit MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Clinical: Data
- 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 Q0115
- Long descriptor
- Post-coital direct, qualitative examinations of vaginal or cervical mucous
- Short descriptor
- Post-coital mucous exam
- Added
- January 1, 1994
- BETOS
- T1H
- Pricing indicator
- 21 — Clinical lab 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 subject to the national limitation amount.
Codes adjacent to Q0115
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If Q0115 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- 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
- Q0091Screening papanicolaou smear; obtaining, preparing and conveyance of cervical or vaginal smear to laboratory
- 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
- 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)
- Q0144Azithromycin dihydrate, oral, capsules/powder, 1 gram
- Q0155Dronabinol (syndros), 0.1 mg, oral, fda approved prescription anti-emetic, for use as a complete therapeutic substitute for an iv anti-emetic at the time of chemotherapy treatment, not to exceed a 48 hour dosage regimen
- Q0161Chlorpromazine hydrochloride, 5 mg, oral, fda approved prescription anti-emetic, for use as a complete therapeutic substitute for an iv anti-emetic at the time of chemotherapy treatment, not to exceed a 48 hour dosage regimen
- Q0162Ondansetron 1 mg, oral, fda approved prescription anti-emetic, for use as a complete therapeutic substitute for an iv anti-emetic at the time of chemotherapy treatment, not to exceed a 48 hour dosage regimen
- Q0163Diphenhydramine hydrochloride, 50 mg, oral, fda approved prescription anti-emetic, for use as a complete therapeutic substitute for an iv anti-emetic at time of chemotherapy treatment not to exceed a 48 hour dosage regimen
- Q0164Prochlorperazine maleate, 5 mg, oral, fda approved prescription anti-emetic, for use as a complete therapeutic substitute for an iv anti-emetic at the time of chemotherapy treatment, not to exceed a 48 hour dosage regimen
Questions about Q0115
What is HCPCS code Q0115?
Q0115 is a HCPCS Level II code for post-coital direct, qualitative examinations of vaginal or cervical mucous. It sits in the Temporary Codes section.
Does Medicare cover Q0115?
The CMS HCPCS file marks Q0115 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 Q0115 paid under the physician fee schedule?
Q0115 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.