October 2026 DMEPOS fee schedule (CR 14619): new HCPCS A4228 to L8697, L8696 deleted

On September 29, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued Transmittal 13956 / Change Request 14619, *October Quarterly Update for 2026 Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Fee Schedule*. Effective date: October 1, 2026. Implementation date: October 5, 2026.

For DME, orthotic/prosthetic, and infusion billing desks staging October files, this is the quarterly fee-schedule and HCPCS load: new codes with fee amounts, L8696 delete, an L1971/L1972 off-the-shelf vs custom-fitted split, and cloud file retrieval instructions for MACs.

What CR 14619 changes for the DMEPOS desk

CMS says the CR updates the DMEPOS fee schedule on a quarterly basis to implement fee schedule amounts for new and existing codes and apply payment-policy changes. It is a recurring update notification for Pub. 100-04, Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 23, Section 60. There are no manual redlines in this transmittal.

Files called out for this quarter: DMEPOS fee schedule file; DMEPOS Rural ZIP code file (Quarter 4); Former CBA fee schedule file; Former CBA National Mail Order diabetic testing supply fee schedule; Former CBA ZIP Code file. CMS states there are no updates to the PEN fee schedule file this quarter. Public Use Files post at the DMEPOS Fee Schedule hub.

New HCPCS and fee schedules effective October 1, 2026

CR 14619 says fee schedule amounts are added for the following new HCPCS codes from CMS's First Biannual 2026 Non-Drug and Non-Biological Items and Services HCPCS code application review cycle: A4228, A6614, E0150, E0788, E2403, and L1972. Narrative benefit-category and payment determinations for those items are on the CMS Level II coding decisions page (B1-2026 application summary PDF).

Business requirement 14619.7 tells contractors the following codes are added to the HCPCS effective October 1, 2026, and shall be added to CWF categories as listed: A4228 (16,60); A6614 (4,60); E0788 (1,60); E2403 (1,60); L1330 (60); L1972 (3,60); L8697 (3,56,67). Business requirement 14619.8 adds the fee schedule for E0150 (category 4).

Official long descriptors from the October 2026 Alpha-Numeric HCPCS File (updated September 23, 2026):

Do not invent short or long descriptors from trade press. Use the October ANWEB file and CR 14619.

L8696 delete and L1971 revision

CMS deletes HCPCS Level II code L8696 from the DMEPOS fee schedule file, effective September 30, 2026. The October 2026 ANWEB lists L8696 as discontinued with discontinue date 2026-09-30 and adds L8697 for the replacement external accessory for an implantable phrenic nerve stimulation device.

Concurrent with new off-the-shelf L1972, the October ANWEB revises L1971 to: ankle foot orthosis, plastic or other material with ankle joint, with or without dorsiflexion assist, prefabricated, item that has been trimmed, bent, molded, assembled, or otherwise customized to fit a specific patient by an individual with expertise. That is the custom-fitted lane; L1972 is the off-the-shelf lane. Update orthotic charge masters so L1971 is not used for true OTS AFO-with-joint claims on or after October 1, 2026.

Forward note: CGM and insulin pump supplies (January 1, 2028)

CR 14619 also restates that the CY 2026 Home Health PPS Rate Update final rule describes bundled monthly rental payment for continuous glucose monitors and insulin infusion pumps (including supplies and accessories) beginning January 1, 2028. As part of that future bundled payment, separate payment for listed supply codes ends. CMS lists A4224 and A4225 among existing HCPCS that will be made non-covered for Medicare effective January 1, 2028, for separate weekly or per-cartridge payment. That is a 2028 DOS change, not an October 1, 2026 delete. Keep it on the watch list; do not pull A4224/A4225 for October 2026 claims based on this paragraph alone.

What this is not

• Not a rewrite of live OPPS CR 14589, IPPS CN3, or post-acute transfer MS-DRG stories.
• Not the RHC/FQHC telehealth G2025 retirement story (already live); CR 14625 is a Chapter 9 manual catch-up to that policy.
• Not an NCCI PTP or add-on code quarterly file. NCCI items remain on HOLD for this desk.
• Not a claim that a new HCPCS code is covered. Presence on the DMEPOS fee schedule or HCPCS file does not equal Medicare coverage; DME MACs still apply coverage rules and LCDs.
• Not a full reprint of Rural ZIP / former CBA file layouts. Pull the CMS cloud PUFs named in CR 14619.

Look up HCPCS descriptors in the encoder after you confirm the October ANWEB and DMEPOS fee schedule PUF. Browse companion CMS Watch items on /news.