Summary & Overview
HCPCS A6228: Sterile Saline-Impregnated Gauze Pad, ≤16 sq in
HCPCS Level II code A6228 denotes a single sterile gauze dressing impregnated with water or normal saline, pad size 16 square inches or less, without an adhesive border. This supply code is commonly used in wound care across outpatient clinics, physician offices, and home health settings. It matters nationally because standardized coding for wound care supplies affects billing accuracy, supply management, and cross-payer payment consistency for common dressing materials.
Key payers covered in this publication include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise reference to what the code represents, expected sites of service, common modifiers and billing considerations, and how A6228 is typically used alongside wound care procedures. The report outlines benchmarks where available and notes when input data are not provided.
This summary equips billing professionals, revenue cycle staff, and policy analysts with a clear description of the code, the clinical context for use, and the payer landscape to inform coding, claims submission, and policy review. Data not available in the input are identified where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
HCPCS Level II code A6228 describes a sterile gauze dressing impregnated with water or normal saline, in a pad size of 16 square inches or less, without an adhesive border. The code applies to a single each dressing unit.
Service type: Wound care dressing supply
Typical site of service: Outpatient clinics, physician offices, home health, and other settings where sterile dressings are applied or supplied
Data not available in the input for taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, and related codes.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult attending an outpatient wound care clinic or emergency department with a superficial wound, abrasion, or minor surgical site requiring topical moisture and protection. The clinician selects sterile, water- or normal saline–impregnated gauze dressing sized 16 square inches or less (A6228) to maintain a moist wound environment, absorb exudate, reduce pain at dressing changes, and protect the site from contamination. Workflow: clinician assesses the wound, performs cleansing and hemostasis as needed, selects an appropriately sized A6228 dressing, applies the dressing without adhesive border directly to the wound bed, secures it with tape or secondary dressing if required, documents wound characteristics and dressing quantity, and schedules follow-up or dressing-change instructions for the patient.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00 | No modifier — standard reporting | Use when no specific modifier applies and standard billing is appropriate |
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when unusually extensive debridement or additional work related to dressing application is documented (use sparingly and with documentation) |
23 | Unusual anesthesia | Use if general anesthesia or unusual anesthesia circumstances were required for wound management procedures associated with dressing application |
52 | Reduced services | Use when a service related to dressing application was partially reduced or not completed |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use when a planned procedure related to wound care was started but terminated before completion, with dressings still used/applied |
54 | Surgical care only | Use when the surgeon bills only the surgical component and another practitioner bills postoperative care |
55 | Postoperative management only | Use when only postoperative care (including dressing changes) is billed by the provider |
56 | Preoperative management only | Use when only preoperative management is billed and dressings were provided preop |
62 | Two surgeons | Use when two surgeons of different specialties shared an operative procedure that required intraoperative dressings |
AS | Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist (assistant) | Use when a physician assistant or advanced practice clinician provides the service as an assistant |
CO | Cast application | Use when cast application or splinting accompanies dressing application (billing guidance dependent on payer) |
FX | Plastic surgery — reduced services | Use when a plastic surgeon performed reduced services related to wound repair and dressing usage |
NU | New equipment | Use when a new, single-use dressing device or supply is billed as new equipment (payer-specific) |
QX | Service furnished under a qualified non‑physician practitioner’s (NPP) supervision | Use when a clinical nurse specialist or physician assistant furnished the dressing under required supervision |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
282N00000X | Physician Assistant | Commonly performs wound assessments and dressing changes in outpatient and ED settings |
363L00000X | Nurse Practitioner | Frequently manages wound care clinics, prescribes dressings, and performs dressing changes |
207Q00000X | General Surgery | Surgeons place postoperative dressings after minor procedures and manage surgical wounds |
207P00000X | Plastic Surgery | Plastic surgeons manage complex soft-tissue wounds and use specialized dressings |
261QM0800X | Emergency Medicine Physician | Emergency physicians apply sterile dressings for acute traumatic wounds in ED settings |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
Laceration | Data not available in the input. | Data not available in the input. |
S01.01XA | Data not available in the input. | Data not available in the input. |
S31.31XA | Data not available in the input. | Data not available in the input. |
K11.3 | Data not available in the input. | Data not available in the input. |
Z48.02 | Data not available in the input. | Data not available in the input. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
99213 | Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, typically 15 minutes | Evaluation and management visit preceding dressing selection and application in an outpatient wound clinic |
99070 | Supplies and materials (except spectacles), provided by the physician over and above those usually included with the office visit | Billed for additional disposable supplies used with A6228 when payer allows separate supply billing |
11042 | Debridement, subcutaneous tissue; first 20 sq cm or less | Surgical wound debridement often performed prior to application of an impregnated gauze dressing |
97597 | Debridement (e.g., high-pressure lavage) first 20 sq cm or less; selective debridement | Non‑surgical debridement procedures commonly performed before applying A6228 dressings |
12002 | Simple repair of superficial wounds of scalp, neck, axillae, external genitalia, trunk and/or extremities; 2.5 cm or less | Minor laceration repair followed by application of a sterile impregnated gauze dressing |