Summary & Overview

HCPCS J2182: Injection, Mepolizumab, 1 mg

HCPCS Level II code J2182 denotes the injectable biologic mepolizumab in 1 mg units. Mepolizumab is an anti-IL-5 monoclonal antibody used in the management of eosinophilic-driven conditions; its billing via unit-based HCPCS codes supports dosing, inventory tracking, and payer reimbursement across outpatient and infusion settings. Nationally, accurate reporting of J2182 matters for clinical continuity, drug utilization monitoring, and consistent claims processing for infused or injected biologic therapies.

This publication covers payer policies and coverage context for Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find benchmarks for unit reporting and common billing patterns, summaries of relevant policy features affecting coverage decisions, and discussion of clinical context tied to injectable biologic administration. The report also outlines typical sites of service and the service type tied to J2182, identifies common modifiers used in practice, and flags data gaps where input information is not provided.

Intended for revenue cycle leaders, clinicians, and policy analysts, this summary provides a concise reference to the code’s clinical meaning, payer scope, and the operational considerations that influence billing and claims adjudication for mepolizumab when reported by the unit.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicareJ2182HCPCS Level IImepolizumabinjectable biologicdrug administrationoutpatient infusionbillingmedical coding

Billing Code Overview

HCPCS Level II code J2182 describes an injection of mepolizumab, 1 mg. The service represents administration of the monoclonal antibody mepolizumab in 1 mg dosage units.

Service type: Drug administration (injectable biologic)
Typical site of service: Outpatient clinic or physician office, hospital outpatient department, or infusion center where injectable biologic therapies are administered

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is an adult or adolescent with severe eosinophilic asthma or eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis receiving subcutaneous biologic therapy. The patient presents to an outpatient infusion clinic, specialty pharmacy clinic, or physician office for administration of J2182 (mepolizumab, 1 mg). The clinical workflow includes verification of patient identity and insurance, review of recent clinical notes and indication, confirmation of recent blood eosinophil count and prior authorization status, preparation of the prefilled syringe or vial, administration via subcutaneous injection, observation for immediate adverse reactions (typically 15–30 minutes), and documentation of lot number, dose, route, site, and any reactions.

Typical site of service: outpatient infusion clinic, specialty clinic, injection suite, or physician office.

Common clinical scenario: a patient with uncontrolled severe eosinophilic asthma on inhaled controller therapy with elevated blood eosinophils who qualifies for mepolizumab by guideline criteria and payer coverage, returns every 4 weeks for subcutaneous injection. The visit includes review of control, interval adverse events, and recording of medication administration details.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`JW`	Drug amount discarded/not administered

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207RP1001X`	Allergy & Immunology	Common specialty prescribing and managing mepolizumab for severe eosinophilic asthma.
`207RI0011X`	Pulmonology	Pulmonologists frequently manage severe asthma and coordinate biologic therapy.
`363A00000X`	Nurse Practitioner	NPs commonly administer and document biologic injections in outpatient clinics.
`163W00000X`	Physician Assistant	PAs often provide administration and follow-up for biologic therapies in specialty clinics.
`207L00000X`	Internal Medicine	Primary care internists occasionally manage long-term biologic therapy in collaboration with specialists.

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`J45.50`	Severe persistent asthma, uncomplicated	Indication for biologic therapy in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma.
`J45.51`	Severe persistent asthma with (acute) exacerbation	Used when the patient has severe asthma with recent exacerbations prompting initiation or continuation of mepolizumab.
`J82`	Eosinophilic pneumonia	Eosinophilic conditions that may be evaluated in biologic therapy contexts; mepolizumab may be considered in eosinophilic lung diseases in specialist care.
`M30.1`	Polyarteritis nodosa (includes eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis in some coding contexts)	Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is an indication for mepolizumab; clinical coding selects the most specific vasculitis code per documentation.
`D72.1`	Eosinophilia	Supportive laboratory diagnosis indicating elevated eosinophil counts relevant to eligibility and monitoring for mepolizumab therapy.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`96401`	Chemotherapy administration, subcutaneous or intramuscular; non-hormonal antineoplastic (single or initial substance/drug)	Used when payers classify biologic injections under parenteral drug administration codes; documents the professional administration service when required.
`96372`	Therapeutic, prophylactic, or diagnostic injection (specify substance or drug); subcutaneous or intramuscular	Commonly used to report the administration service for a subcutaneous biologic injection like mepolizumab when separate administration code is billable.
`99070`	Supplies and materials (e.g., bandages, syringes) provided by the physician over and above those usually included with the procedure	Used to report ancillary supplies not included in the drug J-code billing when payer allows.
`36415`	Collection of venous blood by venipuncture	Used when a blood eosinophil count or other labs are drawn at the visit to assess therapy response or safety.
`99213`	Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, low to moderate complexity	Often billed when the clinician provides evaluation and management services on the same day as the injection and documentation meets E/M criteria.

Note: If facility billing applies, drug J-code J2182 is billed for the mepolizumab product and the related administration CPT codes are billed per payer rules.

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