U0001 — Cdc 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-ncov) real-time rt-pcr diagnostic panel
U0001 is a HCPCS Level II code for cdc 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-ncov) real-time rt-pcr diagnostic panel. It belongs to the Coronavirus Diagnostic Panel 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.
Medically Unlikely Edits — units per day
The most units of U0001 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
- 2 units MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Nature of Analyte
- outpatient
- 2 units MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · Nature of Analyte
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 U0001
- Long descriptor
- Cdc 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-ncov) real-time rt-pcr diagnostic panel
- Short descriptor
- 2019-ncov diagnostic p
- Added
- February 4, 2020
- BETOS
- T1H
- Pricing indicator
- 22 — 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 established by carriers — gap-fills or carrier-established panels.
Codes adjacent to U0001
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If U0001 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- T4540Incontinence product, protective underpad, reusable, chair size, each
- T4541Incontinence product, disposable underpad, large, each
- T4542Incontinence product, disposable underpad, small size, each
- T4543Adult sized disposable incontinence product, protective brief/diaper, above extra large, each
- T4544Adult sized disposable incontinence product, protective underwear/pull-on, above extra large, each
- T4545Incontinence product, disposable, penile wrap, each
- T5001Positioning seat for persons with special orthopedic needs
- T5999Supply, not otherwise specified
- U00022019-ncov coronavirus, sars-cov-2/2019-ncov (covid-19), any technique, multiple types or subtypes (includes all targets), non-cdc
- U0003Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (dna or rna); severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (sars-cov-2) (coronavirus disease [covid-19]), amplified probe technique, making use of high throughput technologies as described by cms-2020-01-rterminated
- U00042019-ncov coronavirus, sars-cov-2/2019-ncov (covid-19), any technique, multiple types or subtypes (includes all targets), non-cdc, making use of high throughput technologies as described by cms-2020-01-rterminated
- U0005Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (dna or rna); severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (sars-cov-2) (coronavirus disease [covid-19]), amplified probe technique, cdc or non-cdc, making use of high throughput technologies, completed within 2 calendar days from date of specimen collection (list separately in addition to either hcpcs code u0003 or u0004) as described by cms-2020-01-r2terminated
- V2020Frames, purchases
- V2025Deluxe frame
- V2100Sphere, single vision, plano to plus or minus 4.00, per lens
- V2101Sphere, single vision, plus or minus 4.12 to plus or minus 7.00d, per lens
Questions about U0001
What is HCPCS code U0001?
U0001 is a HCPCS Level II code for cdc 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-ncov) real-time rt-pcr diagnostic panel. It sits in the Coronavirus Diagnostic Panel section.
Does Medicare cover U0001?
The CMS HCPCS file marks U0001 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.