HCPCS Q9969: Tc-99m from Non-HEU Source, Full Cost Recovery Add-On

HCPCS Level II code Q9969 designates a full cost recovery add-on for Tc‑99m radiopharmaceutical doses derived from a non-highly enriched uranium source, billed per study dose; this code applies to radiopharmacy services supplying technetium‑99m for nuclear medicine procedures, typically provided in outpatient imaging centers, hospital radiology/nuclear medicine departments, or ambulatory surgical settings where diagnostic or therapeutic Tc‑99m studies are performed.

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for hcpcs Q9969 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing Q9969 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

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

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A patient referred for a nuclear medicine study (for example, a myocardial perfusion imaging study or bone scan) receives a radiopharmaceutical dose of technetium-99m (Tc-99m) supplied from a non-highly enriched uranium (non-HEU) source. The technologist verifies identity and informed consent, prepares and administers the Tc-99m dose per protocol, and documents lot number and activity. The billing team appends Q9969 as the full cost recovery add-on charge per study dose for Tc-99m from a non-HEU source. Typical workflow: order placed by a nuclear medicine or cardiology provider → scheduling and pre-procedure screening → radiopharmacy receives and documents non-HEU Tc-99m supply → dose preparation and quality control → patient arrival, IV placement, and injection → imaging acquisition by nuclear medicine technologist → image interpretation by nuclear medicine physician or cardiologist → charge capture including radiopharmaceutical base code(s) and the Q9969 add-on per administered study dose.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`78801`	Radiopharmaceutical localization of tumor; limited	Performed when Tc-99m agents are used for tumor localization studies; related imaging code billed with radiopharmaceutical add-on
`78803`	Radiopharmaceutical localization of tumor; detailed	Used for more extensive localization imaging studies that may accompany administration of `Tc-99m`
`78452`	Myocardial perfusion imaging, tomographic (SPECT) with quantitative evaluation	Commonly performed after administration of `Tc-99m` perfusion agents; the radiopharmaceutical add-on `Q9969` is billed per study dose
`78306`	Bone imaging, whole body or limited, static planar	Bone scans using `Tc-99m` diphosphonates frequently accompany the radiopharmaceutical charge
`79005`	Radiopharmaceutical therapy and/or imaging, multiple-day imaging for dosimetry	When serial imaging or dosimetry related to `Tc-99m` administration is required

Related Modifiers

5 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
59	Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…	- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
52	Modifier ‑52 (Reduced Services) indicates that a service or procedure was partially reduced or omitted at the provider’s discretion, allowing reporting of the basic procedure number with a qualifier…	- Use modifier -52 when a physician or qualified health professional electively reduces or omits part of a procedure or service (for example, performing fewer required views or omitting a portion of…
53	Modifier 53 (Discontinued Procedure) signals that a surgical or diagnostic service was begun by the physician but terminated because of extenuating circumstances that threatened the patient’s…	- Use modifier -53 when a physician/qualified healthcare professional has started a surgical or diagnostic procedure (e.g., anesthesia administered, incision or scope insertion) and then discontinues…
62	Modifier 62 indicates that two surgeons function as co‑surgeons, each performing distinct parts of the same primary surgical procedure. It is appended to the primary procedure code (and any…	- Use modifier -62 when two surgeons act as co‑surgeons (both primary surgeons) on a single definitive primary procedure, each performing distinct parts of the same surgical procedure (append -62 to…
51	Modifier –51 (Multiple Procedures) is used when the same provider performs multiple procedures in the same session to identify secondary, non‑exempt procedures and indicate payment reduction logic…	- Use modifier -51 when the same provider performs multiple distinct procedures during the same patient encounter: report the highest‑valued procedure first (no modifier) and append -51 to…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208000000X	Pediatrics Physician	A pediatrician is concerned with the physical, emotional and social health of children from birth to young adulthood. Care encompasses a broad spectru…
174400000X	Specialist	An individual educated and trained in an applied knowledge discipline used in the performance of work at a level requiring knowledge and skills beyond…
390200000X	Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program	An individual who is enrolled in an organized health care education/training program leading to a degree, certification, registration, and/or licensur…
363A00000X	Physician Assistant	A physician assistant is a person who has successfully completed an accredited education program for physician assistant, is licensed by the state and…
207RA0401X	Addiction Medicine (Internal Medicine) Physician	An internist doctor of osteopathy that specializes in the treatment of addiction disorders. A doctor of osteopathy that is board eligible/certified b…
332B00000X	Durable Medical Equipment & Medical Supplies	A supplier of medical equipment such as respirators, wheelchairs, home dialysis systems, or monitoring systems, that are prescribed by a physician for…
207QS0010X	Sports Medicine (Family Medicine) Physician	A family medicine physician that is trained to be responsible for continuous care in the field of sports medicine, not only for the enhancement of hea…
170100000X	Ph.D. Medical Genetics	A medical geneticist works in association with a medical specialist, is affiliated with a clinical genetics program, and serves as a consultant to med…

HCPCS Q4139: Amniomatrix or Biodmatrix, Injectable, 1 cc

HCPCS-LEVEL-II-Q4256-AREA-BASED-PROCEDURAL-ADD-ON-PER-SQ-CM

HCPCS Q4256: MLG-complete Skin Graft Material, Per Sq Cm

HCPCS-LEVEL-II-Q5132-ADALIMUMAB-AFZB-ABRILADA-10MG-INJECTION

HCPCS Level II Q5132: Injection, adalimumab-afzb (Abrilada), 10 mg

HCPCS-Q0035-CARDIOKYMOGRAPHY-CARDIAC-MOTION-RECORDING

HCPCS Level II Q0035: Cardiokymography

HCPCS-Q0081-INFUSION-THERAPY-NON-CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC-PER-VISIT

HCPCS Level II Q0081: Infusion Therapy, Non‑Chemotherapeutic, Per Visit

HCPCS-Q0083-CHEMOTHERAPY-NON-INFUSION-ADMINISTRATION

HCPCS Q0083: Chemotherapy Administration, Non-Infusion Methods

HCPCS-Q0084-CHEMOTHERAPY-INFUSION-ADMINISTRATION-PER-VISIT

HCPCS Q0084: Chemotherapy Infusion Administration, Per Visit

HCPCS-Q0085-CHEMOTHERAPY-INFUSION-PLUS-OTHER-TECHNIQUES-PER-VISIT

HCPCS Q0085: Chemotherapy Infusion Plus Other Technique(s), Per Visit

HCPCS-Q0091-PAP-SMEAR-SPECIMEN-COLLECTION-TRANSPORT

HCPCS Q0091: Screening Papanicolaou Smear Collection and Transport

HCPCS-Q0092-PORTABLE-XRAY-EQUIPMENT-SETUP

HCPCS Q0092: Set-up Portable X-ray Equipment

Showing 1–10 of 629

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

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`78801`	Radiopharmaceutical localization of tumor; limited	Performed when Tc-99m agents are used for tumor localization studies; related imaging code billed with radiopharmaceutical add-on
`78803`	Radiopharmaceutical localization of tumor; detailed	Used for more extensive localization imaging studies that may accompany administration of `Tc-99m`
`78452`	Myocardial perfusion imaging, tomographic (SPECT) with quantitative evaluation	Commonly performed after administration of `Tc-99m` perfusion agents; the radiopharmaceutical add-on `Q9969` is billed per study dose
`78306`	Bone imaging, whole body or limited, static planar	Bone scans using `Tc-99m` diphosphonates frequently accompany the radiopharmaceutical charge
`79005`	Radiopharmaceutical therapy and/or imaging, multiple-day imaging for dosimetry	When serial imaging or dosimetry related to `Tc-99m` administration is required

Related Modifiers

5 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
59	Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…	- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
52	Modifier ‑52 (Reduced Services) indicates that a service or procedure was partially reduced or omitted at the provider’s discretion, allowing reporting of the basic procedure number with a qualifier…	- Use modifier -52 when a physician or qualified health professional electively reduces or omits part of a procedure or service (for example, performing fewer required views or omitting a portion of…
53	Modifier 53 (Discontinued Procedure) signals that a surgical or diagnostic service was begun by the physician but terminated because of extenuating circumstances that threatened the patient’s…	- Use modifier -53 when a physician/qualified healthcare professional has started a surgical or diagnostic procedure (e.g., anesthesia administered, incision or scope insertion) and then discontinues…
62	Modifier 62 indicates that two surgeons function as co‑surgeons, each performing distinct parts of the same primary surgical procedure. It is appended to the primary procedure code (and any…	- Use modifier -62 when two surgeons act as co‑surgeons (both primary surgeons) on a single definitive primary procedure, each performing distinct parts of the same surgical procedure (append -62 to…
51	Modifier –51 (Multiple Procedures) is used when the same provider performs multiple procedures in the same session to identify secondary, non‑exempt procedures and indicate payment reduction logic…	- Use modifier -51 when the same provider performs multiple distinct procedures during the same patient encounter: report the highest‑valued procedure first (no modifier) and append -51 to…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208000000X	Pediatrics Physician	A pediatrician is concerned with the physical, emotional and social health of children from birth to young adulthood. Care encompasses a broad spectru…
174400000X	Specialist	An individual educated and trained in an applied knowledge discipline used in the performance of work at a level requiring knowledge and skills beyond…
390200000X	Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program	An individual who is enrolled in an organized health care education/training program leading to a degree, certification, registration, and/or licensur…
363A00000X	Physician Assistant	A physician assistant is a person who has successfully completed an accredited education program for physician assistant, is licensed by the state and…
207RA0401X	Addiction Medicine (Internal Medicine) Physician	An internist doctor of osteopathy that specializes in the treatment of addiction disorders. A doctor of osteopathy that is board eligible/certified b…
332B00000X	Durable Medical Equipment & Medical Supplies	A supplier of medical equipment such as respirators, wheelchairs, home dialysis systems, or monitoring systems, that are prescribed by a physician for…
207QS0010X	Sports Medicine (Family Medicine) Physician	A family medicine physician that is trained to be responsible for continuous care in the field of sports medicine, not only for the enhancement of hea…
170100000X	Ph.D. Medical Genetics	A medical geneticist works in association with a medical specialist, is affiliated with a clinical genetics program, and serves as a consultant to med…

HCPCS Q4139: Amniomatrix or Biodmatrix, Injectable, 1 cc

HCPCS-LEVEL-II-Q4256-AREA-BASED-PROCEDURAL-ADD-ON-PER-SQ-CM

HCPCS Q4256: MLG-complete Skin Graft Material, Per Sq Cm

HCPCS-LEVEL-II-Q5132-ADALIMUMAB-AFZB-ABRILADA-10MG-INJECTION

HCPCS Level II Q5132: Injection, adalimumab-afzb (Abrilada), 10 mg

HCPCS-Q0035-CARDIOKYMOGRAPHY-CARDIAC-MOTION-RECORDING

HCPCS Level II Q0035: Cardiokymography

HCPCS-Q0081-INFUSION-THERAPY-NON-CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC-PER-VISIT

HCPCS Level II Q0081: Infusion Therapy, Non‑Chemotherapeutic, Per Visit

HCPCS-Q0083-CHEMOTHERAPY-NON-INFUSION-ADMINISTRATION

HCPCS Q0083: Chemotherapy Administration, Non-Infusion Methods

HCPCS-Q0084-CHEMOTHERAPY-INFUSION-ADMINISTRATION-PER-VISIT

HCPCS Q0084: Chemotherapy Infusion Administration, Per Visit

HCPCS-Q0085-CHEMOTHERAPY-INFUSION-PLUS-OTHER-TECHNIQUES-PER-VISIT

HCPCS Q0085: Chemotherapy Infusion Plus Other Technique(s), Per Visit

HCPCS-Q0091-PAP-SMEAR-SPECIMEN-COLLECTION-TRANSPORT

HCPCS Q0091: Screening Papanicolaou Smear Collection and Transport

HCPCS-Q0092-PORTABLE-XRAY-EQUIPMENT-SETUP

HCPCS Q0092: Set-up Portable X-ray Equipment

Showing 1–10 of 629

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.

HCPCS Q9969: Tc-99m from Non-HEU Source, Full Cost Recovery Add-On

Sign up for hcpcs Q9969 policy alerts

HCPCS Q9969: Tc-99m from Non-HEU Source, Full Cost Recovery Add-On

Sign up for hcpcs Q9969 policy alerts

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

References

HCPCS Q9969: Tc-99m from Non-HEU Source, Full Cost Recovery Add-On

Sign up for hcpcs Q9969 policy alerts

HCPCS Q9969: Tc-99m from Non-HEU Source, Full Cost Recovery Add-On

Sign up for hcpcs Q9969 policy alerts

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

What does HCPCS code Q9969 represent?

When and with which CPT/HCPCS codes is Q9969 used?

Where is Q9969 typically billed and which payers are referenced?

Which modifiers and coding considerations are relevant when billing Q9969?

What clinical and documentation steps are described for billing Q9969, and does the page provide reimbursement amounts?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

What does HCPCS code Q9969 represent?

When and with which CPT/HCPCS codes is Q9969 used?

Where is Q9969 typically billed and which payers are referenced?

Which modifiers and coding considerations are relevant when billing Q9969?

What clinical and documentation steps are described for billing Q9969, and does the page provide reimbursement amounts?

References