Q0161

Q0161 — Chlorpromazine 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

HCPCSActiveBETOS O1D

Q0161 is a HCPCS Level II code for chlorpromazine 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. 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 statusE

Excluded from the physician fee schedule by regulation. Payment, where it exists, comes from another fee schedule (drugs via ASP, supplies via DMEPOS, and so on).

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 Q0161 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: 0 — never payable
outpatient: 66 units
DME supplier: 66 units

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 Q0161

Long descriptor: Chlorpromazine 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
Short descriptor: Chlorpromazine hcl 5mg oral
Added: January 1, 2014
BETOS: O1D
Pricing indicator: 51 — Other

Codes adjacent to Q0161

HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If Q0161 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.

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)
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
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
Q0166Granisetron hydrochloride, 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 24 hour dosage regimen
Q0167Dronabinol, 2.5 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
Q0169Promethazine hydrochloride, 12.5 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
Q0173Trimethobenzamide hydrochloride, 250 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
Q0174Thiethylperazine maleate, 10 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 regimenterminated

Questions about Q0161

What is HCPCS code Q0161?

Q0161 is a HCPCS Level II code for chlorpromazine 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. It sits in the Temporary Codes section.

Does Medicare cover Q0161?

The CMS HCPCS file marks Q0161 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 Q0161 paid under the physician fee schedule?

Q0161 carries PFS status code E. Excluded from the physician fee schedule by regulation. Payment, where it exists, comes from another fee schedule (drugs via ASP, supplies via DMEPOS, and so on).