QS HCPCS Level II modifier: Monitored anesthesia care service
QS is a HCPCS Level II modifier: “Monitored anesthesia care service.” It adds this detail to the code it is reported with.
Official description
QSMonitored anesthesia care service
Short description: Monitored anesthesia care
HCPCS · United States
Medicare details
The indicators CMS publishes with QS in its October 2026 file. They describe Medicare’s handling, not another payer’s.
- Medicare coverage
- Special coverage instructions apply
- Added
- Jan 1, 1990
Where QS sits
- 1GroupHCPCS modifiers
- 2Modifier QSMonitored anesthesia care service
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 QS mean?
QS is the HCPCS code for “Monitored anesthesia care service” in CMS’s HCPCS Level II October 2026 release.
Where is QS in the HCPCS Level II list?
QS is listed under Modifiers.
Does Medicare cover QS?
CMS lists QS’s Medicare coverage as “Special coverage instructions apply”. 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 QS
All modifiersQLPatient pronounced dead after ambulance calledQMAmbulance service provided under arrangement by a provider of servicesQNAmbulance service furnished directly by a provider of servicesQPDocumentation is on file showing that the laboratory test(s) was ordered individually or ordered as a cpt-recognized panel other than automated profile codes 80002-80019, g0058…QQOrdering professional consulted a qualified clinical decision support mechanism for this service and the related data was provided to the furnishing professionalQRPrescribed amounts of stationary oxygen for daytime use while at rest and nighttime use differ and the average of the two amounts is greater than 4 liters per minute (lpm)QTRecording and storage on tape by an analog tape recorderQWClia waived testQXCrna service: with medical direction by a physicianQYMedical direction of one certified registered nurse anesthetist (crna) by an anesthesiologistQZCrna service: without medical direction by a physicianRAReplacement of a dme, orthotic or prosthetic item