U0001 HCPCS Level II code: Cdc 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-ncov) real-time rt-pcr diagnostic panel
U0001 is the HCPCS code for “Cdc 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-ncov) real-time rt-pcr diagnostic panel” in CMS’s October 2026 release, in effect from Oct 1, 2026.
Official description
U0001Cdc 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-ncov) real-time rt-pcr diagnostic panel
Short description: 2019-ncov diagnostic p
HCPCS · United States
Notes for U0001
As CMS prints them, with any note U0001 takes from the headings above it.
Note
- CMS processing note 0221: THE SECRETARY HAS DETERMINED THERE IS A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY TO DEVELOP A CODE. THE SERVICE IS COVERED UNDER SECTION 564(B)(1)(C).
Medicare details
The indicators CMS publishes with U0001 in its October 2026 file. They describe Medicare’s handling, not another payer’s.
- Medicare coverage
- Carrier judgment
- Medicare pricing
- Clinical lab fee schedule – Price established by carriers (e.g., gap-fills, carrier established panels)
- Type of service
- Diagnostic laboratory
- BETOS category
- Lab tests - other (Non-Medicare fee schedule)
- Added
- Feb 4, 2020
Where U0001 sits
- 1U codesLaboratory testing (special program codes)
- 2Active code U0001Cdc 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-ncov) real-time rt-pcr diagnostic panel
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 U0001 mean?
U0001 is the HCPCS code for “Cdc 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-ncov) real-time rt-pcr diagnostic panel” in CMS’s HCPCS Level II October 2026 release.
Does Medicare cover U0001?
CMS lists U0001’s Medicare coverage as “Carrier judgment” and its pricing as “Clinical lab fee schedule – Price established by carriers (e.g., gap-fills, carrier established panels)”. 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 U0001
All U codesU00022019-ncov coronavirus, sars-cov-2/2019-ncov (covid-19), any technique, multiple types or subtypes (includes all targets), non-cdcU0003Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (dna or rna); severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (sars-cov-2) (coronavirus disease [covid-19]), amplified probe technique…U00042019-ncov coronavirus, sars-cov-2/2019-ncov (covid-19), any technique, multiple types or subtypes (includes all targets), non-cdc, making use of high throughput technologies as…U0005Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (dna or rna); severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (sars-cov-2) (coronavirus disease [covid-19]), amplified probe technique…