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The '''Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System''' ('''HCPCS''', often pronounced by its acronym as "hick picks") is a set of [[health care]] [[procedure codes]] based on the [[American Medical Association]]'s [[Current Procedural Terminology]] (CPT).<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://coder.aapc.com/hcpcs-codes-range|title = HCPCS Codes|last = HCPCS Code range}}</ref>

==History==
The acronym ''HCPCS'' originally stood for ''HCFA Common Procedure Coding System'', a medical billing process used by the [[Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services]] (CMS). Prior to 2001, CMS was known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). HCPCS was established in 1978 to provide a standardized coding system for describing the specific items and services provided in the delivery of health care. Such coding is necessary for [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]], [[Medicaid]], and other health insurance programs to ensure that insurance claims are processed in an orderly and consistent manner. Initially, use of the codes was voluntary, but with the implementation of the [[Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act]] of 1996 (HIPAA) use of the HCPCS for transactions involving health care information became mandatory.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/MedHCPCSGenInfo/downloads/HCPCSReform.pdf|title=New CMS coding changes will help beneficiaries|page=1|date=October 6, 2004|publisher=[[Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services]]|access-date=January 13, 2016}}</ref>

==Levels of codes==
HCPCS includes three levels of codes:
*'''Level I''' consists of the [[American Medical Association]]'s [[Current Procedural Terminology]] (CPT) and is numeric.
*'''[[HCPCS Level 2|Level II]]''' codes are alphanumeric and primarily include non-physician services such as [[ambulance]] services and [[prosthetic]] devices, and represent items and supplies and non-physician services, not covered by CPT-4 codes (Level I).
*'''Level III''' codes, also called local codes, were developed by state Medicaid agencies, Medicare contractors, and private insurers for use in specific programs and jurisdictions. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) instructed CMS to adopt a standard coding systems for reporting medical transactions. The use of Level III codes was discontinued on December 31, 2003, in order to adhere to consistent coding standards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.optum360coding.com/upload/pdf/1545/Coding%20Pymt.Gde.Behav.Serv.pdf|title=Coding and Payment Guide for Behavioral Health Services|website=www.optum360coding.com|publisher=[[Ingenix]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201230845/https://www.optum360coding.com/upload/pdf/1545/Coding%20Pymt.Gde.Behav.Serv.pdf|archive-date=2018-12-01|url-status=live|access-date=2018-12-01}}</ref>{{Rp|2}} Level III codes were different from the modern CPT Category III codes, which were introduced in 2001 to code emerging technology.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ama-assn.org/sites/ama-assn.org/files/corp/media-browser/public/cpt/cat-3-codes-first-10-yrs_1.pdf|title=CPT® Category III Codes: The First Ten Years|publisher=[[American Medical Association]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201231638/https://www.ama-assn.org/sites/ama-assn.org/files/corp/media-browser/public/cpt/cat-3-codes-first-10-yrs_1.pdf|archive-date=2018-12-01|url-status=live|access-date=2018-01-01}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services]]
* [[Current Dental Terminology]]

{{Wikidata property |1=P7410}}
==References== 
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedHCPCSGenInfo/ Official site]
* [http://www.cms.hhs.gov/HCPCSReleaseCodeSets/01_Overview.asp#TopOfPage HCPCS Level II alphanumeric procedure and modifier codes]
* [http://www.cms.hhs.gov/McrPartBDrugAvgSalesPrice/01a_2008aspfiles.asp NDC-HCPCS crosswalk data files]
* [https://hcpcs.codes HCPCS Level II Codes & Drug Pricing]
* [https://hcpcs.org 2020 HCPCS Level 2 codes]

{{Medical classification}}

[[Category:Clinical procedure classification]]
[[Category:Medical manuals]]
[[Category:Medicare and Medicaid (United States)]]
[[Category:American Medical Association]]