Q0506 — Battery, lithium-ion, for use with electric or electric/pneumatic ventricular assist device, replacement only
Q0506 is a HCPCS Level II code for battery, lithium-ion, for use with electric or electric/pneumatic ventricular assist device, replacement only. 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 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 Q0506 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
- 8 units MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Nature of Equipment
- outpatient
- 8 units MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Nature of Equipment
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 Q0506
- Long descriptor
- Battery, lithium-ion, for use with electric or electric/pneumatic ventricular assist device, replacement only
- Short descriptor
- Lith-ion batt elec/pneum vad
- Added
- January 1, 2010
- BETOS
- D1F
- Pricing indicator
- 38 — DMEPOS
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.
Orthotics, prosthetics, prosthetic devices and vision services. Price subject to floors and ceilings.
Codes adjacent to Q0506
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If Q0506 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- Q0497Battery clips for use with electric or electric/pneumatic ventricular assist device, replacement only
- Q0498Holster for use with electric or electric/pneumatic ventricular assist device, replacement only
- Q0499Belt/vest/bag for use to carry external peripheral components of any type ventricular assist device, replacement only
- Q0500Filters for use with electric or electric/pneumatic ventricular assist device, replacement only
- Q0501Shower cover for use with electric or electric/pneumatic ventricular assist device, replacement only
- Q0502Mobility cart for pneumatic ventricular assist device, replacement only
- Q0503Battery for pneumatic ventricular assist device, replacement only, each
- Q0504Power adapter for pneumatic ventricular assist device, replacement only, vehicle type
- Q0507Miscellaneous supply or accessory for use with an external ventricular assist device
- Q0508Miscellaneous supply or accessory for use with an implanted ventricular assist device
- Q0509Miscellaneous supply or accessory for use with any implanted ventricular assist device for which payment was not made under medicare part a
- Q0510Pharmacy supply fee for initial immunosuppressive drug(s), first month following transplant
- Q0511Pharmacy supply fee for oral anti-cancer, oral anti-emetic or immunosuppressive drug(s); for the first prescription in a 30-day period
- Q0512Pharmacy supply fee for oral anti-cancer, oral anti-emetic or immunosuppressive drug(s); for a subsequent prescription in a 30-day period
- Q0513Pharmacy dispensing fee for inhalation drug(s); per 30 days
- Q0514Pharmacy dispensing fee for inhalation drug(s); per 90 days
Questions about Q0506
What is HCPCS code Q0506?
Q0506 is a HCPCS Level II code for battery, lithium-ion, for use with electric or electric/pneumatic ventricular assist device, replacement only. It sits in the Temporary Codes section.
Does Medicare cover Q0506?
The CMS HCPCS file marks Q0506 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 Q0506 paid under the physician fee schedule?
Q0506 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).