ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart Right And Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) code group C256 includes procedures performed to introduce radioactive materials or use nonimaging nuclear medicine probes in the Heart, Right and Left. These ICD-10-PCS codes are used for inpatient documentation when tracing distribution or measuring absorption of radiotracers in the heart using nonimaging nuclear medicine techniques. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-PCS C256 group is essential for proper inpatient reimbursement, as it captures the procedure performed and supports clinical documentation accuracy.

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart Right And Left: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Get alerted when relevant policies change without checking for updates manually.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Heart Nonimaging Nuclear Medicine Probe Procedure Overview

This procedure group includes introduction of radioactive materials or use of nonimaging nuclear medicine probes targeting the right and left heart to study distribution and tracer behavior. Procedures involve the Heart within the nuclear medicine section and use nonimaging probes rather than imaging modalities to detect radioactive emissions or measure absorption. Accurate ICD-10-PCS coding of these procedures is important for inpatient reimbursement because it captures the specific nuclear medicine technique and the anatomic heart location, supporting appropriate case mix and payment.

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
C	Section	Nuclear Medicine
2	Body System	Heart
5	Operation	Nonimaging Nuclear Medicine Probe
6	Body Part	Heart, Right and Left

Explore openpayer tools

View all tools

ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart Right And Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart Right And Left: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Get alerted when relevant policies change without checking for updates manually.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Heart Nonimaging Nuclear Medicine Probe Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
C	Section	Nuclear Medicine
2	Body System	Heart
5	Operation	Nonimaging Nuclear Medicine Probe
6	Body Part	Heart, Right and Left

When to Use

Use codes from this group when a nonimaging nuclear medicine probe is used to introduce radiotracers or to detect radioactive emissions from the right and left heart. These codes apply when the clinical goal is to study distribution or measure absorption of radioactive materials in the heart rather than to perform an imaging-based study.

ICD-10-PCS Codes

2 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
C2561ZZ	Nonimaging Nuclear Medicine Probe of Right and Left Heart using Technetium 99m (Tc-99m)
C256YZZ	Nonimaging Nuclear Medicine Probe of Right and Left Heart using Other Radionuclide

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An elderly patient hospitalized with acute onset chest pain and equivocal troponin levels who has multiple prior inconclusive noninvasive cardiac tests; clinicians use a nonimaging nuclear medicine probe to measure radiotracer uptake dynamics in the right and left heart to assess perfusion distribution at the bedside when immediate catheterization is not indicated. Typical codes: C2561ZZ, C256YZZ
A middle-aged patient admitted electively for preoperative cardiac function assessment prior to high-risk valve surgery; a nonimaging nuclear medicine probe study is performed to introduce a technetium-based radiotracer and detect emission patterns in the right and left heart to quantify regional tracer absorption and guide surgical planning. Typical codes: C2561ZZ
A hospitalized patient with subacute cardiomyopathy of unclear etiology after chemotherapy, where clinicians perform a nonimaging nuclear medicine probe procedure to evaluate tracer distribution between right and left heart chambers to differentiate toxic versus ischemic injury as part of inpatient diagnostic workup. Typical codes: C256YZZ

ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart: Procedure Code Group Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

Explore openpayer tools

View all tools

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

2 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
C2561ZZ	Nonimaging Nuclear Medicine Probe of Right and Left Heart using Technetium 99m (Tc-99m)
C256YZZ	Nonimaging Nuclear Medicine Probe of Right and Left Heart using Other Radionuclide

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An elderly patient hospitalized with acute onset chest pain and equivocal troponin levels who has multiple prior inconclusive noninvasive cardiac tests; clinicians use a nonimaging nuclear medicine probe to measure radiotracer uptake dynamics in the right and left heart to assess perfusion distribution at the bedside when immediate catheterization is not indicated. Typical codes: C2561ZZ, C256YZZ
A middle-aged patient admitted electively for preoperative cardiac function assessment prior to high-risk valve surgery; a nonimaging nuclear medicine probe study is performed to introduce a technetium-based radiotracer and detect emission patterns in the right and left heart to quantify regional tracer absorption and guide surgical planning. Typical codes: C2561ZZ
A hospitalized patient with subacute cardiomyopathy of unclear etiology after chemotherapy, where clinicians perform a nonimaging nuclear medicine probe procedure to evaluate tracer distribution between right and left heart chambers to differentiate toxic versus ischemic injury as part of inpatient diagnostic workup. Typical codes: C256YZZ

ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart: Procedure Code Group Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

OpenPayer

ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart Right And Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart Right And Left: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Heart Nonimaging Nuclear Medicine Probe Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

OpenPayer

ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart Right And Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart Right And Left: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Heart Nonimaging Nuclear Medicine Probe Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

References

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

References

ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart Right And Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart Right And Left: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Heart Nonimaging Nuclear Medicine Probe Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart Right And Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Heart Right And Left: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Heart Nonimaging Nuclear Medicine Probe Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which anatomic location does ICD-10-PCS code group C256 target?

What operation is represented by ICD-10-PCS group C256?

Which specific codes are included in the C256 group and what radionuclides do they indicate?

In what clinical setting are C256 codes used for documentation?

Why is accurate coding within the C256 group important for hospitals and coders?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which anatomic location does ICD-10-PCS code group C256 target?

What operation is represented by ICD-10-PCS group C256?

Which specific codes are included in the C256 group and what radionuclides do they indicate?

In what clinical setting are C256 codes used for documentation?

Why is accurate coding within the C256 group important for hospitals and coders?

References