Top 25 drugs used in outpatient procedures
There is a growing emphasis on outpatient care in the United States. Outpatient care facilities play an important role in reducing healthcare costs while also satisfying patient desires for convenient, quality care.
Outpatient care is especially important for coordinating care for patients with chronic conditions since their conditions can require frequent doctor visits.
In this Healthcare Insight, we use Definitive Healthcare ClaimsMx data from PhysicianGroupView to review medications administered during outpatient visits from January to August 2022. We filtered our data by the chemotherapy and drugs not administered orally Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) sub-categories, which include infused and injected medications that are billed as a procedure.
Top medication administration procedures
| Rank | HCPCS code | HCPCS description | Percent of outpatient encounters |
| 1 | J3301 | Triamcinolone acetonide, injection, 10mg | 12.3% |
| 2 | J1100 | Dexamethasone sodium phosphate, injection, 1mg | 8.1% |
| 3 | J3420 | Vitamin B-12 injection, 1000mcg | 4.2% |
| 4 | J1885 | Ketorolac tromethamine, injection, 15mg | 3.8% |
| 5 | J0178 | Alfibercept, injection, 1mg | 3.7% |
| 6 | J0702 | Betamethasone acetate and betamethasone sodium phosphate, injection, 3 mg | 3.4% |
| 7 | J0696 | Ceftriaxone sodium, injection, 250mg | 3.2% |
| 8 | J1030 | Methylprednisolone acetate, injection, 40mg | 3.2% |
| 9 | J9035 | Bevacizumab, injection, 10mg | 2.9% |
| 10 | J3490 | Unclassified drugs, injection | 2.4% |
| 11 | J1071 | Testosterone cypionate, injection, 1mg | 2.2% |
| 12 | J1040 | Methylprednisolone acetate, injection, 80mg | 2.1% |
| 13 | J1050 | Medroxyprogesterone acetate, injection, 1mg | 1.7% |
| 14 | J1200 | Diphenhydramine HCL, injection, 50mg | 1.6% |
| 15 | J2785 | Regadenoson, injection, 0.1mg | 1.6% |
| 16 | J0585 | OnabotulinumtoxinA, injection, 1 unit | 1.5% |
| 17 | J7030 | Normal saline solution, infusion, 1000cc | 1.4% |
| 18 | J7050 | Normal saline solution, infusion, 250cc | 1.1% |
| 19 | J2405 | Ondansetron hydrochloride, per 1mg | 1.1% |
| 20 | J0897 | Denosumab, injection, 1mg | 1.1% |
| 21 | J2469 | Palonosetron HCL, injection, 25mcg | 1.0% |
| 22 | J1756 | Iron sucrose, injection, 1mg | 1.0% |
| 23 | J2930 | Methylprednisolone sodium succinate, injection, 125mg | 0.9% |
| 24 | J2778 | Ranibizumab, injection, 0.1mg | 0.8% |
| 25 | J2357 | Omalizumab, injection, 5mg | 0.8% |
Fig. 1 Data is from the Definitive Healthcare ClaimsMx and PhysicianGroupView products from January to August 2022. Claims data is sourced from multiple medical claims clearinghouses in the United States and is updated monthly. Data accessed September 2022.
What are the most common injected or infused medications?
Triamcinolone acetonide (J3301) and dexamethasone sodium phosphate (J1100) account for nearly one-quarter of chemotherapy and injection/infusion medications on the list. Both are used to treat arthritis, a common inflammatory condition.
Vitamin B injections (J3420) for deficiencies of the vitamin, ketorolac tromethamine (J1885) for pain management, and aflibercept (J0178) for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) complete the top five drugs used in outpatient procedures list.
What conditions do injected and infused medication treat?
Additional conditions treated by medications on the list include:
- Allergies
- Autoimmune diseases, such as lupus
- Bacterial infections
- Cancer
- Osteoporosis
Learn more
Healthcare Insights are developed with healthcare commercial intelligence from the Definitive Healthcare platform. Want even more insights? Start a free trial now and get access to the latest healthcare commercial intelligence on hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers.
