Medicare Part B Discarded Drug Units

The Medicare Part B Discarded Drug Units dataset provides spending information on claims for Medicare Part B drugs that were identified as having discarded…

Part of the CMS Data Feeds Dataset › Medicare

Dataplex delivers this CMS feed as the analysis-ready table DWV.MEDICARE_PART_B_DISCARDED_DRUG_UNITS on Snowflake and Databricks — four annual reporting periods (2021–2023) aligned to a single schema, refreshed automatically whenever CMS publishes a new file. Every row carries lineage back to the exact CMS source file that produced it.

Key facts

Snowflake	DWV.MEDICARE_PART_B_DISCARDED_DRUG_UNITS
Databricks	cms_dwv.medicare_part_b_discarded_drug_units
Coverage	Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 (3 of 3 annual reporting periods)
Rows	3,008 (total across all reporting periods)
Cadence	Annual
Update pattern	Time-partitioned — each file adds one reporting year
CMS published	2026-06-25
Loaded	2026-06-25
Columns	8 data + 6 lineage
Identifiers	HCPCS codes
File versions	4
License	CMS public data — U.S. Government work
Platforms	Snowflake Marketplace · Databricks Delta Sharing

Included in the CMS Data Feeds Dataset — start a free trial on Snowflake Marketplace.

Current — CMS last published this feed on 2026-06-25. Coverage is complete through the 2023 reporting year. Next CMS release expected ~Jun 2027.

Time-partitioned feed — each file version covers one reporting year, so history is additive. Query the full table for all years; filter on the reporting period columns for a single period. Do not filter to the latest file only — that would return just the 2023 reporting year.

Sample queries

Snowflake

-- Each file version covers one reporting period (2021, 2022, 2023) — history is additive
SELECT *
FROM DWV.MEDICARE_PART_B_DISCARDED_DRUG_UNITS
LIMIT 100;

Databricks

About this feed

The Medicare Part B Discarded Drug Units dataset provides spending information on claims for Medicare Part B drugs that were identified as having discarded amounts of a drug. As of January 1, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires all physicians, hospitals, and other providers submitting claims for Medicare Part B drugs to report any discarded amount of a single use vial or other single use package drug on its claim for payment. With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November 2021, manufacturers must pay a refund to Medicare for discarded amounts above a specified threshold effective for drugs furnished beginning with January 1, 2023.

Starting in 2025, CMS began publishing public annual reports on the CMS Discarded Drugs page that include these refund amounts. These newly published reports reflect the actual discarded drug refunds paid by manufacturers and supersede the Medicare Part B Discarded Drug Units data previously available on this webpage.

— Source: CMS feed metadata

Keywords: Medicare, Original Medicare, Drugs Theme: Medicare

Coverage timeline

2021 🟩 · 2022 🟩 · 2023 🟩

3 of 3 annual reporting periods present — no gaps.

Release history

Reporting period	CMS published	Loaded	Latest file
2023-01-01 – 2023-12-31	2026-06-25	2026-06-25	✓
2023-01-01 – 2023-12-31	2025-05-29	2025-05-29
2022-01-01 – 2022-12-31	2024-03-14	2024-03-14
2021-01-01 – 2021-12-31	2023-03-06	2023-08-29

Data dictionary

📋 8 data columns + 6 lineage columns

Column-level definitions are maintained by CMS in the official Medicare Part B Discarded Drug Units data dictionary.

Data columns

Column	Type
HCPCS_CD	TEXT
BRND_NAME	TEXT
GNRC_NAME	TEXT
TOT_MDCR_ALOWD_AMT	NUMBER
TOT_MDCR_ALOWD_ADMNRD_AMT	NUMBER
TOT_MDCR_ALOWD_DSCRD_AMT	NUMBER
PCT_ADMNRD_UNITS	NUMBER
PCT_DSCRD_UNITS	TEXT

Lineage columns (present on every feed table)

Column	Type	Description
ROW_ID	TEXT	Unique row ID for this table (PK)
FILE_ID	TEXT	Source file — joins to FEEDS_FILES.ID (FK)
FILE_FEED_ID	TEXT	Parent feed — joins to FEEDS.ID (FK)
FILE_NAME	TEXT	Source file name as published by CMS
ROWNUM	NUMBER	Row number within the source file
CREATED_AT	TIMESTAMP_NTZ	Timestamp when the record was loaded

Row-level lineage

Every row in this table traces to the exact CMS source file that produced it. The FILE_ID column joins to the FEEDS_FILES catalog table, and FILE_FEED_ID joins to the FEEDS master table:

Trace any row back to its source file and reporting period:

SELECT d.HCPCS_CD, d.BRND_NAME, d.GNRC_NAME,
       ff.TEMPORAL_START, ff.TEMPORAL_END, ff.CMS_FEED_MODIFIED
FROM DWV.MEDICARE_PART_B_DISCARDED_DRUG_UNITS d
JOIN DWV.FEEDS_FILES ff ON d.FILE_ID = ff.ID;

Source & provenance

Published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (bureau 009:38).

• Official CMS data dictionary

• Medicare Part B Discarded Drug Units Methodology

Frequently asked questions

How often is Medicare Part B Discarded Drug Units updated?

Annually. CMS last published this feed on 2026-06-25, and Dataplex loaded it to the warehouse the same day. New releases are added automatically when CMS publishes them.

What years does Medicare Part B Discarded Drug Units cover?

2021 through 2023 — three annual reporting periods with no gaps. Each reporting year arrives as its own file version, and all years remain queryable side by side.

How many records are in Medicare Part B Discarded Drug Units?

3,008 rows across all four reporting periods. Because this feed is time-partitioned, the full table total is the meaningful count — no deduplication needed.

How do I get Medicare Part B Discarded Drug Units data?

It's included in the CMS Data Feeds Dataset on the Snowflake Marketplace (free trial available) and via Databricks Delta Sharing. Once mounted, query DWV.MEDICARE_PART_B_DISCARDED_DRUG_UNITS directly — no pipeline setup required.

Related feeds

Medicare Part B Spending by DrugOpioid Treatment Program ProvidersMedicare Quarterly Part B Spending by DrugSkilled Nursing Facility Change of Ownership - Owner InformationAdvance Investment Payment Spend Plan

Get this feed

1. Start a free trial on Snowflake Marketplace or purchase via Databricks

2. Mount the share — the database and DWV schema appear in your account immediately

3. Run the sample query above — no ETL, no pipeline maintenance

Questions about this feed? Contact us at [e-mail].

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