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96521 Refill/maint portable pump

What 96521 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Refill/maint portable pump.

Full CPT long descriptions are licensed by the American Medical Association and are not published on this site; the short descriptor above is the one CMS prints in its own fee schedule file. See About CPT.

Medicare payment for 96521 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)0.214.020.074.30$143.62
Facility (hospital, ASC)0.214.020.074.30$143.62

National rates: total RVUs x the CY2026 conversion factor of 33.4009 (non-QP), before geographic adjustment. Actual Medicare payment is 80% of the rate shown after the deductible; the patient or secondary payer owes the 20% coinsurance.


Status: Active - payable under the Physician Fee Schedule. Global period: Global concept does not apply.

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Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)

Medicare caps 96521 at 2 units per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 3 - date of service edit (clinical): units above the MUE may pay with documentation on appeal), rationale: Clinical: Data. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.

Billed with 96521? These codes are bundled into it

96521 is a Column 1 code in 88 active NCCI PTP edits. When one of these Column 2 codes is reported on the same date of service, it is denied as bundled - unless the edit's modifier indicator is 1 and documentation supports a distinct service with an NCCI-associated modifier.

Column 2 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
36591Draw blood off venous device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36592Collect blood from picc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
77402Radiation tx delivery lvl 11 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77407Radiation tx delivery lvl 21 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77412Radiation tx delivery lvl 31 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77423Neutron beam tx complex1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
96523Irrig drug delivery device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
99202Office o/p new sf 15 min1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99203Office o/p new low 30 min1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99204Office o/p new mod 45 min1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99205Office o/p new hi 60 min1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99211Off/op est may x req phy/qhp0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
99212Office o/p est sf 10 min1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99213Office o/p est low 20 min1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99214Office o/p est mod 30 min1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99215Office o/p est hi 40 min1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
992211st hosp ip/obs sf/low 401 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
992221st hosp ip/obs moderate 551 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
992231st hosp ip/obs high 751 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99231Sbsq hosp ip/obs sf/low 250 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
99232Sbsq hosp ip/obs moderate 350 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
99233Sbsq hosp ip/obs high 500 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
99234Hosp ip/obs sm dt sf/low 451 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99235Hosp ip/obs same date mod 701 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99236Hosp ip/obs same date hi 851 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99238Hosp ip/obs dschrg mgmt 30/<1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99239Hosp ip/obs dschrg mgmt >301 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99281Emr dpt vst mayx req phy/qhp1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99282Emergency dept visit sf mdm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99283Emergency dept visit low mdm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair

Showing 30 of 88 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.

96521 is bundled into these codes

96521 appears as a Column 2 code in 24 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 96521 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
0708TId ca immntx prep & 1st njx1Check pair
0709TId ca immntx each addl njx1Check pair
36260Insertion of infusion pump1Check pair
36261Revision of infusion pump1Check pair
62350Implant spinal canal cath1Check pair
62365Remove spine infusion device1Check pair
96401Chemo anti-neopl sq/im1Check pair
96402Chemo hormon antineopl sq/im1Check pair
96405Chemo intralesional up to 71Check pair
96406Chemo intralesional over 71Check pair
96409Chemo iv push sngl drug1Check pair
96413Chemo iv infusion 1 hr1Check pair
96416Chemo prolong infuse w/pump0Check pair
96420Chemo ia push tecnique1Check pair
96422Chemo ia infusion up to 1 hr1Check pair

Data: CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule RVU file (October release, RVU26D) and Medicare NCCI PTP practitioner edits v32.3 (2026 Q4). Verify against the official files before billing or contracting decisions.