🔔 CMS HCPCS Coverage Policy Index

One structured policy_code_link per HCPCS code ↔ coverage-policy relation — across BOTH Local Coverage Determinations and Articles in the official CMS Medicare Coverage Database. Each link carries the policy type (LCD/Article), policy id and version, the HCPCS code id and version, the code group, and the range. Built for reimbursement, coding, and market-access teams mapping which HCPCS codes are named in which coverage policies.

Differentiation: the HCPCS↔policy links are split across two tables in two separate CMS ZIPs; this index joins both into one flat, deduplicated link, keyed on policy_type:policy_id:version:code, filter-scoped by contract, with both HCPCS descriptor columns excluded by position and the CMS licence on every row. Code IDs only — never the AMA-copyright descriptor text, and never a claim-level coverage or payment verdict.

Output is one cms_hcpcs_policy_link row per result; billing is pay-per-event, the value event being one policy code link (a $0.02 start fee per run, then $0.02 per policy code link). Source: downloads.cms.gov, www.cms.gov.

No login, no API key and no CAPTCHA solving are involved: the source is read logged-out with an identified contact User-Agent.

📊 Sample Output

Real rows from run XLtdTinT9lLEtjEi0 on build 0.1.7 (2026-09-19), the same input as the Quick start below — every value is as the source published it (emails masked, long text shortened):

policy_type	policy_id	policy_version	hcpc_code_id	hcpc_code_version	hcpc_code_group
Article	52986	242	81479	97	1
Article	53104	32	81479	83	1
Article	53480	14	81479	73	1
Article	53531	22	81479	94	1
Article	53538	15	81479	73	1
Article	54194	23	81479	91	1
Article	54257	14	81479	91	1
Article	54269	14	81479	91	1

The run finished with the status message: NORMAL: 50 unique rows (0 duplicates collapsed). billable=50

✅ What you get

Each row is flat JSON with these fields (from the dataset schema and the sample run; a field the source does not publish for a given row is null):

• record_type (string/null) — e.g. cms_hcpcs_policy_link
• policy_type (string/null) — e.g. Article
• policy_id (string/null) — e.g. 52986
• policy_version (string/null) — e.g. 242
• hcpc_code_id (string/null) — e.g. 81479
• hcpc_code_version (string/null) — e.g. 97
• hcpc_code_group (string/null) — e.g. 1
• range (string/null) — e.g. N
• source (string/null) — e.g. cms-hcpcs-coverage-policy-index
• release_date (string/null) — null in every sample row
• source_url (string/null) — e.g. https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/
• observed_at (string/null) — e.g. 2026-09-19T00:16:30Z
• license (string/null) — e.g. CMS Medicare Coverage Database — U.S. Government public data; CPT is copyright A
• attribution (string/null) — e.g. U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare Coverage Database (https
• terminal (string/null) — null in every sample row
• reported_total (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• raw_seen (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• duplicates (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• unique_found (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• delivered (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• scope (string/null) — null in every sample row
• note (string/null) — null in every sample row

✅ What you get

• record_type (string/null) — e.g. cms_hcpcs_policy_link
• policy_type (string/null) — e.g. Article
• policy_id (string/null) — e.g. 52986
• policy_version (string/null) — e.g. 242
• hcpc_code_id (string/null) — e.g. 81479
• hcpc_code_version (string/null) — e.g. 97
• hcpc_code_group (string/null) — e.g. 1
• range (string/null) — e.g. N
• source (string/null) — e.g. cms-hcpcs-coverage-policy-index
• release_date (string/null) — null in every sample row
• source_url (string/null) — e.g. https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/
• observed_at (string/null) — e.g. 2026-09-18T23:48:38Z
• license (string/null) — e.g. CMS Medicare Coverage Database — U.S. Government public data; CPT is copyright A
• attribution (string/null) — e.g. U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare Coverage Database (https
• terminal (string/null) — null in every sample row
• reported_total (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• raw_seen (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• duplicates (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• unique_found (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• delivered (string/integer/null) — null in every sample row
• scope (string/null) — null in every sample row
• note (string/null) — null in every sample row

⚙️ Sample inputs

1. Quick start — the Store example (this is what the sample above came from)

{
  "hcpcsCodes": [
    "81479"
  ],
  "maxRecords": 50
}

The sample run charged exactly: 4 × $0.02 apify-actor-start + 50 × $0.02 policy_code_link = $1.08 on the Free tier — every delivered row was billed.

2. A smaller, narrowed run

{
  "hcpcsCodes": [
    "81479"
  ],
  "maxRecords": 5
}

Caps the run at 5 rows — about $0.12 on the Free tier ($0.02 start + 5 × $0.02).

3. A full-size run

{
  "hcpcsCodes": [
    "81479"
  ],
  "maxRecords": 2500
}

Up to 2500 rows (the schema default for maxRecords) — about $50.02 on the Free tier ($0.02 start + 2500 × $0.02) if the source has that many.

4. A filtered run

{
  "hcpcsCodes": [
    "81479"
  ],
  "maxRecords": 50,
  "fieldMatch": {
    "policy_type": "Article"
  }
}

Keeps only rows whose policy_type contains Article (a value from the sample run above), matched case-insensitively after the source is read and before the maxRecords cap, so the cap counts matches and only delivered matches are billed. searchText does the same across every column. Zero matches end the run as EMPTY_SELECTION with no row charged — if the source has moved on since that sample run, pick a value you see in your own first run. The source is still read in full — this narrows what you receive and pay for, not what the source serves.

🧾 JSON sample record

One real record from run XLtdTinT9lLEtjEi0, exactly as it lands in the dataset (emails masked, long text shortened):

{
  "record_type": "cms_hcpcs_policy_link",
  "policy_type": "Article",
  "policy_id": "52986",
  "policy_version": "242",
  "hcpc_code_id": "81479",
  "hcpc_code_version": "97",
  "hcpc_code_group": "1",
  "range": "N",
  "source": "cms-hcpcs-coverage-policy-index",
  "release_date": null,
  "source_url": "https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-19T00:16:30Z",
  "license": "CMS Medicare Coverage Database — U.S. Government public data; CPT is copyright American Medical Association (CPT/HCPCS descriptors and free-text descriptions are excluded).",
  "attribution": "U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare Coverage Database (https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/)"
}

🔧 How it works

Source. The actor reads downloads.cms.gov, www.cms.gov — endpoints: https://downloads.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/downloads/exports/current_article.zip, https://downloads.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/downloads/exports/current_lcd.zip, https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/. Public pages and feeds only; nothing behind a login.

Transport. Plain HTTPS from the Apify platform, no proxy. robots.txt is read first and a disallowed path is never fetched. Every request carries an identified contact User-Agent. Pacing: CRAWL_DELAY=0.0.

Terminal states. A run ends NORMAL, CAPPED (your cap was reached), PARTIAL (something was withheld and the message says what), GENUINE_EMPTY (the source was read and truly had nothing in scope) or BLOCKED (the source refused or changed shape — the run FAILS loud and bills nothing). A zero-row run is never reported as a silent success.

Charging. Each policy code link is charged at the moment it is pushed (policy_code_link); a row that fails to charge is not delivered, so the dataset count always equals the charged count.

🔧 How it works

Source

The official current_lcd.zip and current_article.zip from downloads.cms.gov (the lcd_x_hcpc_code.csv and article_x_hcpc_code.csv members — the .mdb is not read), streamed with an early cap and header layout canaries that fail loud (unbilled) on shell body, header drift, or zero-parse.

Compliance & licence

• Both HCPCS long_description and short_description columns are excluded by position — only code ids / version / group / range are emitted. CPT/HCPCS descriptor text is AMA-copyright and never shipped.
• Every record carries the CMS licence (license) and attribution (attribution).

What is not done. No login, no cookie or CAPTCHA bypass, no private or personal-account data, no browser automation.

💰 Pricing example

Event	Free	Bronze	Silver	Gold
Actor Start (apify-actor-start)	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02
Policy Code Link (policy_code_link)	$0.02	$0.018	$0.016	$0.0134

Worked at the live Free-tier price:

• 8 policy code links: $0.02 start + 8 × $0.02 = $0.18
• 25 policy code links: $0.02 start + 25 × $0.02 = $0.52
• 2500 policy code links: $0.02 start + 2500 × $0.02 = $50.02

A run that delivers zero rows charges the $0.02 start fee only. A BLOCKED run (source refused) fails loud and charges no value event. The start fee is charged once per GB of run memory; the default run memory is 4096 MB.

Yield on the sample run: NORMAL: 50 unique rows (0 duplicates collapsed). billable=50. maxRecords is a hard ceiling on what is delivered and billed, never a target.

⚖️ Legal & ToS

This actor reads public, logged-out pages and feeds published by downloads.cms.gov, www.cms.gov. It collects only what the source publishes to any visitor, keeps to the source's robots rules (checked on every run), identifies itself with a contact User-Agent, and does not access accounts, private data or anything behind authentication. Use the output in line with the source's terms and your local law; the intended use is B2B research and monitoring.

❓ FAQ

Q: Do I need an API key or a login?
A: No. The source (downloads.cms.gov, www.cms.gov) is read logged-out; the input schema has no key field and the actor carries no secrets.

Q: Why did my run return 0 rows?
A: Read the run's status message. GENUINE_EMPTY means the source was read and had nothing in scope for your input; BLOCKED means the source refused and the run failed without billing a value event — retry later or narrow the input. A zero-row run bills the start fee only.

Q: How many rows can one run return?
A: Up to maxRecords (default 2500). Raise the cap for a bigger run; you pay per delivered row.

Q: How fresh is the data?
A: Every run reads the source live at run time; nothing is cached between runs. Put it on a schedule for a continuous feed.

Q: What formats can I export?
A: The dataset downloads as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or RSS from the run's Dataset tab or the Apify API, and any run can push to a webhook or integration.

Q: How is this different from the other NexGen Watch actors actors?
A: Same output shape and billing model; this one covers downloads.cms.gov, www.cms.gov. The siblings under Related Actors cover the other sources or slices — run several on one schedule for a combined feed.

Q: Are there rate limits?
A: The actor paces itself against the source (CRAWL_DELAY=0.0) and honours its robots rules; there is no per-buyer limit beyond your Apify plan's concurrency.

🆘 Troubleshooting

• Run FAILED with BLOCKED → the source refused the request or changed its page shape → nothing was billed beyond the start fee; retry after a while, and if it persists open an Issue with the run id.
• Status says CAPPED → your cap (maxRecords) was reached → raise it for a bigger run.
• Input validation error on start → a field is outside the schema's allowed values → start from the Quick start block and change one field at a time.
• Run TIMED-OUT → a very wide request on a slow day → raise the run timeout in Run options or narrow the input; what was delivered before the timeout is still in the dataset.

🔗 Related Actors

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• CMS Coverage Related-Document Graph — One structured edge per filed related-document link between coverage policies in the official CMS Medicare Coverage Database — the source policy (LCD…
• CMS Dialysis Facilities Scraper — A clean, structured roster of Medicare-certified dialysis facilities in the United States, sourced live from the official CMS provider-data API (http…
• CMS Hospice Facilities Scraper — A clean, structured roster of Medicare-certified hospice facilities in the United States, sourced live from the official CMS provider-data API (https…
• CMS Article ICD-10 Covered Code Matrix — One structured record per versioned Article × ICD-10 COVERED relation from the official CMS Medicare Coverage Database — the Article id and version,…
• CMS Article ICD-10 Non-Covered Code Matrix — One structured record per versioned Article × ICD-10 NON-COVERED relation from the official CMS Medicare Coverage Database — the Article id and versi…
• 🏢 About NexGenData — NexGen Watch is NexGenData's fleet of more than 300 public data actors built on official sources, pay-per-result. Browse the catalog at apify.com/nexgenwatch.

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