HCPCS code S0106 – Bupropion HCl SR 150 mg, bottle of 60

Key takeaways

HCPCS code S0106 is a temporary national S code for bupropion HCl sustained release tablets, 150 mg, billed per bottle of 60 tablets.

One unit of S0106 is one bottle of 60 tablets. The claim counts bottles, never tablets or milligrams.

Medicare does not pay S codes. Medicaid programs and private payers that recognize S0106 set their own rates, rules, and prior authorization.

The NDC line and the HCPCS units field count different things. One bottle is 60 tablets on the NDC line and 1 unit of S0106.

Pabau, the practice management platform we build, keeps the prescription, prior authorization, and claim on one patient record. The bottle count on the claim then matches what was dispensed.

HCPCS code S0106: Definition and official descriptor

HCPCS code S0106 is the Level II code for bupropion HCl sustained release tablets, 150 mg, billed per bottle of 60 tablets. CMS’s October 2026 HCPCS release lists its long descriptor as Bupropion HCl sustained release tablet, 150 mg, per bottle of 60 tablets. AAPC’s S0106 entry carries the same wording. One unit on the claim is one full bottle.

S0106 belongs to the S code series, which CMS keeps as temporary national codes for private payers and Medicaid programs. Medicare does not pay S codes. The code was added on April 1, 2002, and is still active in that October 2026 release. The same series includes S code S0117 for topical tretinoin, billed per 5 grams.

Because each payer sets its own S0106 rate, there is no single national allowable to quote. When a rate appears in an appeal or a billing note, cite the payer, the fee schedule version, and its effective date.

What S0106 covers, and what it leaves out

S0106 describes one product: Bupropion hydrochloride sustained release (SR) tablets at 150 mg, packed 60 to a bottle. The descriptor names a single strength and a single package size. Other SR strengths and other bottle sizes fall outside it, so ask the payer how it wants those reported.

Bupropion SR is sold under two brand names with different FDA-labeled uses. Wellbutrin SR is labeled for major depressive disorder, and Zyban is labeled as an aid to smoking cessation. The code itself names no indication.

The diagnosis on the claim comes from the ICD-10-CM diagnostic codes and should describe the condition the prescriber documented. For smoking cessation, that is usually a nicotine dependence code from F17.2-, such as F17.210 for cigarettes. For depression, it is a major depressive disorder code from F32 or F33. Whether S0106 is covered for that diagnosis is set by each payer, so read its policy before the first claim.

S0106 does not cover:

• Bupropion XL (extended release, once-daily) tablets
• Bupropion immediate release tablets
• Bupropion SR at a strength other than 150 mg
• Compounded bupropion preparations
• Smoking cessation counseling, which is billed with CPT 99406 or 99407

How to bill S0106: Units, NDC, and claim fields

The billing unit for S0106 is the bottle. Report 1 unit for each bottle of 60 × 150 mg SR tablets dispensed, so two bottles is 2 units. Entering 60 (the tablets) or 9,000 (the milligrams) in that field bills 60 or 9,000 bottles instead of one. Payer edits will reject that line, or the payer recoups it later.

Two quantity fields sit on an S0106 line, and they count different things:

Mixing the two up is the most common way an S0106 quantity goes wrong. Keep bottles in the units field and tablets on the NDC line.

Step-by-step billing sequence for S0106:

1. Confirm the product. Check the dispensing record shows bupropion HCl SR 150 mg in a 60-tablet bottle. Any other strength or pack size needs the payer’s own instructions.
2. Count bottles, not tablets. Enter the number of bottles dispensed as the units in box 24G on the CMS-1500 or SV104 on the 837P.
3. Report the NDC. Enter the 11-digit NDC with its N4 qualifier, then the unit qualifier UN and the tablet count. The NDC section below covers the format.
4. Select the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code. Use the code for the condition documented on the date of service, and check it against the payer’s policy for S0106.
5. Check prior authorization. If the payer requires it for this indication, obtain the authorization number and record it before the claim goes out.
6. Submit a clean claim. Confirm the billing provider NPI, place of service, and date of service. Drug lines with a missing or malformed NDC are often rejected before adjudication.

NDC reporting for bupropion SR

The NDC on an S0106 line has to match the product that left the practice. Several manufacturers make bupropion SR, each under its own NDC, and a single labeler can list several strengths and pack sizes.

1. Read the NDC from the bottle. Labels print a 10-digit NDC. Claims need the 11-digit 5-4-2 format, made by adding a leading zero to the short segment.
2. Confirm the product behind the NDC. Check it in the FDA NDC Directory or DailyMed. It should be a bupropion HCl SR 150 mg tablet in a 60-tablet package.
3. Check the payer’s own NDC list. Some state Medicaid agencies publish the NDCs they accept with a HCPCS code. Where one exists, confirm your NDC is on it.
4. Place the NDC in the right field. On the 837P, use loop 2410 with N4 in LIN02 and the NDC in LIN03. On a paper CMS-1500, enter N4 and the NDC in the shaded area of box 24A.

An NDC mismatch does not always deny at once. Some payers pay the claim and catch the mismatch on a later audit, then recoup the payment. Building NDC checks into the superbill documentation workflow catches it at the point of dispensing.

Payer coverage: Which insurers accept HCPCS code S0106

Coverage for HCPCS code S0106 depends on the payer. Medicare does not pay S codes, and a Medicare patient’s oral bupropion usually runs through a Part D pharmacy claim. For other payers, coverage, rates, and prior authorization are set plan by plan. Oral sildenafil follows the same pattern under S0090, billed per 25 mg.

For smoking cessation, the Affordable Care Act requires most non-grandfathered private plans to cover FDA-approved tobacco cessation medications without cost-sharing. That rule governs coverage, not coding. A plan can still send bupropion SR through its pharmacy benefit rather than accept S0106.

Confirm the billing route with each plan before the first claim. Run that check when the drug is prescribed, so a plan that wants a pharmacy claim never receives an S0106 line.

S0106 vs related codes: Avoiding confusion

S0106 sits next to several codes that billers mix up. The usual confusion involves J codes, smoking cessation counseling codes, and other bupropion formulations.

Many billers assume every drug HCPCS code is a J code. That assumption fails here, because bupropion SR has its own S code and no J code.

Documentation requirements for HCPCS code S0106 claims

Payers reviewing an S0106 claim look for a connected chain of records. That chain runs from the clinical reason for the drug to the prescription, the dispensing record, and the claim. A break anywhere in it is grounds for recoupment.

What the record should hold for each S0106 claim:

• Documented indication: The note for the date of service states the clinical indication in terms that support the ICD-10-CM code billed. “Patient uses tobacco” is too vague, while “nicotine dependence, cigarettes, uncomplicated” supports F17.210.
• Prescription record: A signed or electronic prescription from a licensed prescriber, with NPI, drug, strength, quantity, and directions.
• Dispensed product and quantity: The dispensing record shows bupropion HCl SR 150 mg, the NDC, and the number of 60-tablet bottles dispensed. The units on the claim come from that bottle count.
• Prior authorization number: Where the payer requires one, record it in the chart and enter it on the claim. An authorization left off the claim still produces a denial.
• Provider eligibility: Confirm the billing provider type is allowed to bill S0106 under the payer’s policy. Medical billing compliance checks, including provider enrollment, cover this before the first claim.

Payer audits often compare the reported NDC with the strength in the clinical record. A chart that says “Wellbutrin SR 150 mg” beside an NDC for a different strength or pack size triggers a review. Dispensing and billing staff need one shared way of recording the product.

Common claim denial reasons for HCPCS code S0106

S0106 claims deny for a small set of predictable reasons, and most are preventable at claim preparation. Reading the Claim Adjustment Reason Code (CARC) on the remittance tells you where to route the rework, and it feeds denial management workflows.

How Pabau keeps S0106 claims tied to the dispensing record

In many practices, the prescription lives in one system and the dispensing log in another. Someone then keys the claim by hand at the billing desk. That handoff is where a bottle count turns into a tablet count, or an authorization number goes missing.

In Pabau, those steps sit on one patient record. Prescribers approve and send prescriptions from the record, with US e-prescribing through DoseSpot. Stock carries batch and expiry details, and the lot is recorded against the patient and the appointment.

Prior authorization codes and dates sit on the insurance case, with a warning when one is missing. Pabau’s claims management software sends US claims as CMS-1500 or 837P through Claim.MD, and matches ERA remittances back to each line.

Bill S0106 from the record you dispensed from

Pabau keeps prescriptions, stock lots, prior authorizations, and insurance claims on one patient record. Claims go out through Claim.MD with the bottle count and authorization already on file.

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Conclusion

S0106 is a per-bottle code, and every fix in this guide follows from that. Count bottles in the units field and keep the tablet count on the NDC line. Before the first claim, confirm the payer recognizes S0106 at all, because Medicare never will.

The trade-off is a few minutes of checking against weeks of rework. A payer check and a dispensing record that shows bottles cost little at the point of prescribing, while a recoupment months later costs far more. Book a demo to see how Pabau keeps prescriptions, authorizations, and claims on one record for practices dispensing bupropion SR.

Continue your research

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