The Health Care Financing Administration has recently issued the following clarification regarding billing for contrast material. This instruction applies even if the contrast material is billed separately. If a hospital bills separately for the contrast material, the hospital must adjust its chargemaster to exclude any amount for contrast material from the charge for the radiology procedure.
Hospitals can bill according to either option.
Hospitals may bill for the contrast material used in connection with this radiology procedure separately, as long as they adjust their chargemasters to exclude any amount for contrast material from the charge for the procedure. Hospitals must report the contrast material with revenue code 255 when billing separately for contrast material used with radiology procedures subject to the radiology payment limit. They must report the charges on the same bill as the radiology procedure. If the hospital's charge for the radiology procedure includes a charge for contrast material, the hospital must adjust the charge for the procedure to exclude any amount for contrast material. Medicare will work with you to adjust any bills you believe were not processed according to these instructions.