Summary & Overview
HCPCS J1836: Injection, Metronidazole 10 mg
HCPCS Level II code J1836 designates a 10 mg injectable unit of metronidazole, a widely used antimicrobial for anaerobic and certain protozoal infections. As a drug-dispensing code, J1836 is important for billing medication administration in acute and outpatient settings where parenteral antimicrobials are given. Nationally, accurate use of this HCPCS code supports proper drug inventory accounting, claims adjudication, and antimicrobial therapy documentation.
Key payers in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of how the code is applied across service lines, common sites of service for parenteral antimicrobials, and typical payer coverage considerations. The publication summarizes benchmarking elements for billing units and utilization where available, outlines recent policy or coding updates affecting drug J-codes, and provides clinical context for metronidazole administration in facility and ambulatory settings.
Content focuses on practical billing and coding facts, payer coverage landscape, and clinical scenarios tied to injectable metronidazole. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
HCPCS Level II code J1836 represents an injection of metronidazole, 10 mg. This code denotes a parenteral administration of the antimicrobial agent metronidazole in a 10 mg dosage unit.
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Service type: Medication administration (parenteral antimicrobial delivery)
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Typical site of service: Hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient, emergency department, clinic, or other settings where intravenous or intramuscular medications are administered. Data not available in the input.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult presenting to an outpatient infusion center, emergency department, or hospital ward with a clinically significant anaerobic bacterial infection requiring parenteral therapy. Common scenarios include severe intra-abdominal infections (e.g., diverticulitis with abscess), pelvic inflammatory disease requiring IV antibiotics, complicated skin and soft tissue infections with suspected anaerobes, or as part of combination therapy for mixed aerobic-anaerobic infections. The clinician orders J1836 (metronidazole injection, 10 mg) to provide intravenous metronidazole dosed per weight and renal/hepatic function.
Typical clinical workflow:
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Patient evaluated by physician or advanced practice clinician and assigned an ICD-10 diagnosis supporting parenteral antibiotic therapy.
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Pharmacy confirms order and prepares the metronidazole injection; nursing verifies patient identity and allergy history.
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Metronidazole
J1836is administered IV (bolus or infusion) in the infusion suite, ED, or inpatient unit. Vital signs and infusion site are monitored. -
Documentation includes medication name, dose, route, administration time, lot number if required, associated diagnosis, and any applicable modifier (e.g., for billing circumstances).
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If therapy transitions to oral metronidazole, documentation notes conversion and date/time of last IV dose.