Summary & Overview
HCPCS A6224: Sterile Impregnated Gauze Pad >48 sq. in., No Adhesive
HCPCS Level II code A6224 designates a sterile, impregnated gauze pad larger than 48 square inches without an adhesive border, billed per dressing. This supply code is used for wound care involving moderate-to-large wounds—such as postoperative sites, large ulcers, or extensive traumatic wounds—where an impregnated dressing is clinically preferred to support healing and manage exudate. Nationally, accurate coding of supply items like A6224 matters for clinical documentation, inventory management, and consistent claim adjudication across payers.
Key payers addressed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise description of the code’s clinical role and typical sites of service, and an outline of common billing considerations relevant to national payers. The publication covers benchmark considerations, coding context for wound care supply lines, and where to expect variation in coverage and reimbursement practices among major insurers. It also highlights documentation elements that typically accompany supply claims for large impregnated dressings.
This summary is intended for billers, revenue cycle managers, and clinical staff involved in wound care supply coding and claims submission, providing a clear reference to support consistent use of HCPCS Level II code A6224.
Billing Code Overview
HCPCS Level II code A6224 describes a sterile gauze pad impregnated with a substance other than water, normal saline, or hydrogel, with a pad size greater than 48 square inches and without an adhesive border, billed per dressing. The service type is wound care dressing supply, intended for management of moderate-to-large wounds or surgical sites that require a non-adhesive, impregnated dressing to maintain a therapeutic environment.
Typical sites of service include inpatient hospital settings, outpatient clinics, surgical centers, and skilled nursing or long-term care facilities where larger sterile dressings are applied for postoperative wounds, chronic ulcers, or other sizable wound beds. Data not available in the input.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult recovering from a large surgical debridement of an infected pressure ulcer on the sacrum performed in an inpatient or outpatient surgical setting. The wound bed requires a large, sterile, impregnated gauze dressing (pad size >48 sq. in.) without an adhesive border to provide antimicrobial or emollient contact with the wound, absorb exudate, and protect surrounding skin.
The clinical workflow: the surgeon or wound care nurse selects A6224 when a single sterile impregnated gauze pad of the specified size is applied at the time of the procedure or dressing change. Documentation includes wound size and indication for impregnated dressing (e.g., antimicrobial, petrolatum-based), dressing size and quantity, procedure or dressing change notes, and provider performing the application. The product may be supplied intraoperatively, in the post-anesthesia care unit, in a hospital ward, outpatient clinic, or skilled nursing facility. Billing captures the item A6224 as a supply/dressing charge tied to the encounter and linked to the related wound care or surgical CPT and the patient diagnosis codes in the medical record.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00 | No modifier | Use when no special billing modifier applies to the supply |