A0420 HCPCS Level II code: Ambulance waiting time (als or bls), one half (1/2) hour increments
A0420 is the HCPCS code for “Ambulance waiting time (als or bls), one half (1/2) hour increments” in CMS’s October 2026 release, in effect from Oct 1, 2026.
Official description
A0420Ambulance waiting time (als or bls), one half (1/2) hour increments
Short description: Ambulance waiting 1/2 hr
HCPCS · United States
Medicare details
The indicators CMS publishes with A0420 in its October 2026 file. They describe Medicare’s handling, not another payer’s.
- Medicare coverage
- Not payable by Medicare
- Medicare pricing
- Service not separately priced by Part B (e.g., services not covered, bundled, used by Part A only, etc.)
- Type of service
- Ambulance
- BETOS category
- Ambulance
- Added
- Jan 1, 1995
Where A0420 sits
- 1A codesAmbulance, supplies and miscellaneous
- 2Active code A0420Ambulance waiting time (als or bls), one half (1/2) hour increments
Source and release
- Data release
- HCPCS Level II · October 2026
- Effective date
- Oct 1, 2026
- Publisher
- CMS
This page is built from the HCPCS Level II catalog that Vero Codes reads when it suggests codes: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’s October 2026 release, imported from the publisher’s file and checked against it. The description, notes and structured data come from the same record.
Frequently asked questions
What does HCPCS code A0420 mean?
A0420 is the HCPCS code for “Ambulance waiting time (als or bls), one half (1/2) hour increments” in CMS’s HCPCS Level II October 2026 release.
Does Medicare cover A0420?
CMS lists A0420’s Medicare coverage as “Not payable by Medicare” and its pricing as “Service not separately priced by Part B (e.g., services not covered, bundled, used by Part A only, etc.)”. Coverage and payment still depend on the patient, the setting, the documentation and the payer.
Which HCPCS Level II release does this page use?
It uses CMS’s October 2026 release, in effect from Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026. It is a reference: confirm the code against the current list and the payer’s rules before you submit it.
Codes beside A0420
All A codesA0384Bls specialized service disposable supplies; defibrillation (used by als ambulances and bls ambulances in jurisdictions where defibrillation is permitted in bls ambulances)A0390Als mileage (per mile)A0392Als specialized service disposable supplies; defibrillation (to be used only in jurisdictions where defibrillation cannot be performed in bls ambulances)A0394Als specialized service disposable supplies; iv drug therapyA0396Als specialized service disposable supplies; esophageal intubationA0398Als routine disposable suppliesA0422Ambulance (als or bls) oxygen and oxygen supplies, life sustaining situationA0424Extra ambulance attendant, ground (als or bls) or air (fixed or rotary winged); (requires medical review)A0425Ground mileage, per statute mileA0426Ambulance service, advanced life support, non-emergency transport, level 1 (als 1)A0427Ambulance service, advanced life support, emergency transport, level 1 (als 1 - emergency)A0428Ambulance service, basic life support, non-emergency transport, (bls)