Radiology CPT Codes 2027: The Complete List (70010 to 79999), Modifiers, and Billing Rules

Radiology CPT codes run from 70010 to 79999 in seven subsections, from diagnostic radiology to nuclear medicine. For 2027, CPT revises the head and neck MRA codes 70544 to 70549 and adds three combined MRA codes. This guide lists the codes by modality, with the modifiers and billing rules that keep claims paid.

Key Takeaways

• Radiology CPT codes run from 70010 to 79999 and split into seven subsections maintained by the American Medical Association.
• Two code ranges published widely online are outdated. Radiologic guidance ends at 77022, not 77032, and nuclear medicine starts at 78012, not 78000.
• Contrast status and view count drive code selection, and the radiologist’s report controls both. The order doesn’t.
• Modifier 26 reports the interpretation and modifier TC reports the equipment side. Neither belongs on a claim when one entity bills both.
• CPT 2026 delivered 418 changes. Radiology gained 70471 for combined CTA of the head and neck, plus 70472 and 70473 for CT cerebral perfusion.
• CPT deleted the entire 37220 to 37235 revascularization family on January 1, 2026, and replaced it with 46 territory-based codes, 37254 through 37299.
• CMS applied a 2.5% efficiency adjustment to work RVUs on non-time-based codes for CY 2026, and radiology sits inside that group.
• CPT 2027 takes effect January 1, 2027, with 453 changes. MRA codes 70544 to 70549 now include postprocessing, and three new codes report head and neck MRA together.
• CMS proposes a 2027 conversion factor of $32.8409, down from $33.4009, and estimates radiology RVU gains of 2% to 3% before that change.
• NCCI Version 32.3 has applied since October 1, 2026. Version 33.0 takes effect January 1, 2027, so recheck edit pairs for January dates of service.

What This Guide Covers

1. What Are Radiology CPT Codes?
2. What Changed in Radiology CPT Codes for 2027
3. Radiology CPT Code Ranges: 70010 to 79999 in Seven Subsections
4. The Five Variables That Determine Every Radiology CPT Code
5. Radiology CPT Codes Cheat Sheet 2027: Full List by Modality
6. Contrast Rules in Radiology Coding: With, Without, and Without and With
7. Modifier 26 vs Modifier TC: Component Billing in Radiology
8. Radiology Modifiers Beyond 26 and TC
9. Is a CPT Code a Radiology Code? How to Tell
10. NCCI Edits, MUEs, and Bundling Rules in Radiology
11. Medical Necessity and ICD-10 Pairing for Radiology Claims
12. Prior Authorization for Radiology: What Requires It and Who Decides
13. What Changed in Radiology CPT Codes for 2026
14. Radiology CPT Codes Deleted for 2026 and 2027: Do Not Bill These
15. Category III Codes and AI in Radiology
16. 2026 and 2027 Radiology Reimbursement: MPFS, RVUs, and the Efficiency Adjustment
17. Why Radiology Claims Get Denied and How to Fix Each One
18. Download the 2027 Radiology CPT Codes Cheat Sheet (PDF)
19. Radiology Billing and Coding Services From MedSole RCM
20. Radiology CPT Codes: Frequently Asked Questions
21. Radiology CPT Coding in 2027: What Keeps Claims Paid

What Are Radiology CPT Codes?

Radiology CPT codes are five-digit procedure codes maintained by the American Medical Association that report diagnostic imaging, image-guided procedures, and radiation therapy on insurance claims. They occupy the 70010 to 79999 range of the CPT code set. The code tells a payer which imaging service happened and how it was performed.

Two code sets have to agree on every radiology claim. ICD-10-CM explains why the patient needed imaging. CPT explains what the radiologist did. Both codes ride on the same claim, and a payer that can’t reconcile them denies it.

Radiology groups and freestanding imaging centers bill these codes daily. So do hospital outpatient departments, and so does every ordering specialty running imaging in-house: cardiology, orthopedics, oncology, urology, and emergency medicine. If your practice reads its own films, you’re billing from this range.

Pull any radiology AR report and the pattern shows up fast. The aged claims aren’t exotic procedures. They’re chest X-rays billed for two views when the report documents three, and CT scans coded with contrast when the tech withheld it.

What Changed in Radiology CPT Codes for 2027

The AMA released CPT 2027 on September 9, 2026, with 453 changes: 299 new codes, 74 revised, and 80 deleted. The codes take effect January 1, 2027. For radiology, the AMA flagged a new table for head and neck magnetic resonance angiography.

Four CPT changes reach imaging claims, per the American College of Radiology. MRA codes 70544 to 70549 now include postprocessing, and three new codes report head and neck MRA together. Two new codes cover fiducial marker placement in bone. CPT also deletes prostate biopsy codes 55706 and 55713.

CMS published its 2027 proposed payment rule on July 14, 2026, and hasn't released the final rule yet. For changes across every specialty, see our 2027 CPT code changes guide. The table below covers the radiology side, code by code.

Radiology CPT Code Changes for 2027

MRA CPT Codes 2027: 70544 to 70549 and the New Head and Neck Codes

MRA of the head runs 70544 without contrast, 70545 with contrast, and 70546 without then with. Neck MRA mirrors it at 70547, 70548, and 70549. For 2027, CPT revises all six to include postprocessing of the angiographic images.

When you image the head and neck in one session, a new combined code replaces the old pair. The CMS proposed rule lists the three codes as placeholders 70XX4, 70XX5, and 70XX6. Pull the final five-digit numbers from the CPT 2027 codebook before you load them.

Head and Neck MRA: 2026 Pair vs 2027 Combined Code

CMS accepted the RUC's work values for all nine MRA codes without change, per the ACR summary of the proposed rule. CMS also proposes adding the three new codes to the OPPS cap list. That cap holds the technical payment to the hospital outpatient amount when it runs lower.

Radiology CPT Codes Cheat Sheet: 2026 vs 2027

Use this table as your quick reference for January. It shows which high-volume radiology codes stay the same, which ones CPT revises, and which ones you stop billing. The full modality tables, with a 2027 Status column on each, sit further down this guide.

Radiology CPT Codes Cheat Sheet: 2026 vs 2027

Radiology CPT Code Ranges: 70010 to 79999 in Seven Subsections

Radiology CPT codes run from 70010 to 79999 in seven subsections. Diagnostic radiology covers 70010 to 76499, ultrasound 76506 to 76999, and guidance 77001 to 77022. Breast imaging runs 77046 to 77067, bone and joint studies 77071 to 77092, radiation oncology 77261 to 77799, and nuclear medicine 78012 to 79999.

The ranges below match what AAPC publishes for the radiology code range as of 2026. Two of them differ from ranges you’ll find on widely cited coding pages.

Inside diagnostic radiology, the codes move down the body. Head and neck studies start at 70010, chest at 71045, and spine and pelvis at 72020. Upper extremities start at 73000, lower extremities at 73501, and the abdomen at 74018. Vascular procedures and other imaging close the subsection.

Radiology CPT Code Ranges (2026 and 2027)

Two Outdated Radiology Code Ranges Still Circulating Online

77001 to 77032 appears across published coding references. Codes 77031 and 77032, which reported stereotactic and mammographic guidance for breast procedures, were deleted effective January 1, 2014.

CPT folded that guidance into the combination biopsy codes 19081 through 19086 and the localization codes 19281 through 19288. Radiologic guidance ends at 77022, and it hasn’t reached past that in over a decade.

78000 to 79999 circulates just as widely. Codes 78000, 78001, 78003, 78006, 78007, 78010, and 78011 were deleted effective January 1, 2013, and consolidated into 78012, 78013, and 78014. Nuclear medicine begins at 78012, and it hasn’t started at 78000 since 2013.

You’ve probably inherited one of these ranges from a cheat sheet somebody saved years ago and nobody revisited. It passes an internal audit without complaint. It stops passing the quarter a payer runs its own edit against the current code set.

The Five Variables That Determine Every Radiology CPT Code

Radiology code selection comes down to five documented variables: modality, body region, contrast status, number of views, and guidance method. Together they decide which code applies. Most coding denials in radiology trace back to one of the five being wrong, missing, or contradicted by the radiologist’s report.

1. Modality. X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, and fluoroscopy each carry separate code families.
2. Body region. Head, neck, chest, spine, abdomen, pelvis, and extremity carry distinct codes inside a single modality.
3. Contrast status. Most CT and MRI studies split into three codes: without contrast, with contrast, and without followed by with.
4. Number of views. Plain film codes change with view count, and the report has to document every view billed.
5. Guidance method. Fluoroscopic, CT, MRI, and ultrasound guidance carry different codes, and many bundle into the primary procedure.

The report governs, not the order. When the order says non-contrast and the radiologist documents contrast administration, the report wins and the code changes with it. A coder working from the order alone can’t see the conflict, and bills the wrong code the moment the two disagree.

Radiology CPT Codes Cheat Sheet 2027: Full List by Modality

The tables below list the highest-volume radiology CPT codes by modality, checked against the 2026 code set and the CPT 2027 changes. In the 2027 Status column, No change means the code carries into 2027 as written. Revised and Deleted mark the codes you need to recheck.

X-Ray CPT Codes

Plain film coding turns on view count. Bill 71046 when the report documents three views, and you’ve undercoded a study you already performed. Unilateral extremity studies also need LT or RT, and Medicare plus most commercial payers reject them without one.

Common X-Ray CPT Codes (2026 and 2027)

CT Scan CPT Codes

CT codes come in contrast triads. Abdomen and pelvis runs 74176 without, 74177 with, and 74178 without followed by with, which our CPT 74177 billing guide breaks down claim by claim. Two 2026 additions sit in this family, and CPT 2027 leaves both in place.

CT CPT Codes by Contrast Status (2026 and 2027)

Denial trigger: contrast means intravenous contrast. Oral and rectal contrast don’t qualify a study for a with-contrast code, and billing 74177 on an oral-only study is one of the most common upcoding findings in imaging audits.

MRI CPT Codes

MRI follows the same three-tier contrast structure as CT, and the codes sit in different numeric neighborhoods by body part. Spine MRI carries the extra trap: the without-and-with code for each spinal region lives well outside the sequence you’d expect.

MRI and MRA CPT Codes by Contrast Status (2026 and 2027)

One correction worth flagging: 74181 is MRI of the abdomen without contrast, and 74183 is MRI of the abdomen without followed by with contrast. Neither one is a CT of the abdomen and pelvis. Confusing 74183 with the CT codes in the 74176 series is a recurring error, and the two families don’t pay the same.

Ultrasound CPT Codes

Ultrasound coding splits on complete versus limited, and the definition of complete is a documentation checklist rather than a judgment call. Sonographers know the anatomy. The claim depends on whether the radiologist wrote it down, and plenty of reports don’t.

Common Ultrasound CPT Codes (2026 and 2027)

CPT 76700 requires documented imaging of the liver, gallbladder, common bile duct, pancreas, spleen, both kidneys, the upper abdominal aorta, and the inferior vena cava. Miss a single element and the study is 76705. Bowel gas obscuring the pancreas doesn’t change that.

Denial trigger: 76645 was deleted effective January 1, 2015, and replaced by 76641 for a complete unilateral study and 76642 for a limited one. It still appears on published code lists. Any claim carrying it rejects on submission.

Mammography and Breast Imaging CPT Codes

Breast imaging has been renumbered twice in the last decade, so retired codes survive in this family longer than most. The current set bundles computer-aided detection into the base mammography codes, so you don’t report CAD on its own line anymore.

Mammography and Breast Imaging CPT Codes (2026 and 2027)

Worth knowing on the 2017 deletions: CPT retired 77055 through 77057 effective January 1, 2017, but CMS kept Medicare on G0202, G0204, and G0206 through that year and adopted the CPT codes on January 1, 2018. Both dates are correct, and they don’t contradict each other.

Documentation requires: when a screening mammogram converts to a diagnostic study the same day, append modifier GG to the diagnostic code. Medicare pays both. The report has to name the specific finding that triggered the conversion.

Nuclear Medicine and PET CPT Codes

Nuclear medicine claims lose money in a way other modalities don’t. The radiopharmaceutical bills separately under a HCPCS Level II code, and a claim that omits it walks away from the cost of an isotope the practice already bought and injected.

Common Nuclear Medicine and PET CPT Codes (2026 and 2027)

Two mix-ups repeat in this family. A whole-body bone scan is 78306, and 78300 covers a limited area only. A three-phase study is 78315, and it isn’t a whole-body scan even when your protocol includes whole-body planar imaging.

Bone and Joint Study CPT Codes

This subsection is small, and DXA carries most of the volume. Medicare covers bone mass measurement once every 24 months for qualified beneficiaries, so frequency decides payment more often than code selection does. Getting the code right won’t help if the interval is short.

Bone and Joint Study CPT Codes (2026 and 2027)

Billing DXA inside 24 months needs documented clinical justification in the record, not a rationale added to the appeal after the denial arrives. Monitoring a patient on long-term glucocorticoids qualifies. A routine recheck scheduled by the front desk doesn’t.

Radiation Oncology CPT Codes

Radiation oncology got restructured from the delivery codes up in 2026. External beam treatment delivery collapsed into three complexity levels, image guidance moved inside the delivery codes, and superficial radiation therapy got a new family. If your templates still say simple, intermediate, and complex, they’re out of date. ASTRO documents the delivery changes in its coding guidance.

Radiation Oncology CPT Codes: 2026 Changes and 2027 Status

The delivery codes no longer separate 3D from IMRT. Complexity decides the level now, with multiple isocenters and active motion management pointing to 77412. CMS also deleted the G6001 through G6017 delivery series, so freestanding centers and hospitals don’t report different codes anymore.

Denial trigger: the technical component of image guidance is bundled into the revised delivery codes. Report 77387 for the professional component only. Appending TC to 77387 gets it rejected as not separately payable.

For 2027, CMS proposes new practice expense values for 77402, 77407, and 77412 based on how often each level shows up on claims. CMS found Level 3 on about 18% of delivery claims, not the 35% it assumed. The work RVU on all three stays at 0.00.

Interventional Radiology CPT Codes

Interventional radiology lost 16 codes and gained 46. Lower extremity revascularization went from 16 codes to 46, organized by vascular territory and lesion complexity, which the Society of Interventional Radiology walks through code family by code family.

Interventional Radiology CPT Codes: 2026 Changes and 2027 Status

IR codes keep absorbing imaging guidance into the primary procedure. Codes 61624 and 61626 were revised for 2026 to include all radiological supervision and interpretation, roadmapping, and guidance. Read the descriptor before you add a separate 77000-series guidance code. If the intervention already includes it, you can’t bill it twice.

Contrast Rules in Radiology Coding: With, Without, and Without and With

Most CT and MRI studies carry three separate CPT codes based on contrast status, and the radiology report determines which one applies. Contrast misclassification is one of the most common sources of radiology denials and audit findings.

1. Intravenous contrast only. Oral and rectal contrast don’t qualify a study for a with-contrast CPT code. Only intravenous contrast does.
2. The report governs. When the order specifies non-contrast and the report documents contrast administration, the code follows the report.
3. Ordered but not given. When contrast is withheld for a documented allergy or renal function, bill the without-contrast code. Intent doesn’t change the code.

The contrast agent bills on its own line under the appropriate HCPCS code, priced on the concentration and volume actually administered. In hospital outpatient settings paid under OPPS, contrast is frequently packaged into the APC payment and isn’t separately reimbursable.

Picture the study a payer pulls on audit. The technologist note says contrast administered. The radiologist’s report never mentions it. The claim went out as 74177. Ask which document the auditor reads first, and you already know how that review ends.

Modifier 26 vs Modifier TC: Component Billing in Radiology

Most radiology services split into two components. The technical component covers equipment, technologist time, and facility overhead. The professional component covers the radiologist’s interpretation and written report. Modifier TC reports the technical side, modifier 26 reports the professional side, and neither applies when one entity bills both.

Radiology Component Billing Scenarios

Global billing rule: when one entity owns the equipment and employs the interpreting physician, bill the code globally with no modifier. Appending 26 or TC to a global claim reduces payment to a fraction of what the study earned.

The technical component usually carries the larger share of the global payment, because equipment and staffing cost more than interpretation time, and the ratio isn’t fixed across codes. Our modifier 26 professional component guide covers the interpretation side, and the TC modifier billing rules guide covers the equipment side.

Not every code supports a component split. Check the PC/TC indicator on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule before appending either modifier. Only codes carrying the right indicator can be split, and appending 26 to a code that can’t be split generates a rejection rather than a reduced payment.

The most expensive component error is the duplicate global. When the facility and the interpreting radiologist both submit the global code for the same study, the payer sees a duplicate and denies one or both. That one surfaces on audit rather than on the remittance, which is why it doesn’t get caught for months.

Place of service is the quiet companion error. On a modifier 26 claim, place of service reflects where the imaging happened, not where the radiologist read it. Teleradiology makes that mistake routine, and it won’t surface until the payer recoups. Our place of service codes guide maps the codes that apply.

When component splits break across a whole payer mix, appeals won’t fix it. The claim build upstream needs correcting. That work sits inside outsourced medical billing services, so the split is right before the claim ever goes out.

Radiology Modifiers Beyond 26 and TC

Beyond the component modifiers, nine modifiers show up regularly on radiology claims. Each carries a distinct documentation requirement, and three of them draw audit attention on their own.

Common Radiology Modifiers and When They Apply

The X modifiers are more specific than 59. Where one applies with equal accuracy, it holds up better on review, because it names the reason two services are distinct instead of leaving the payer to infer it. Modifier 59 doesn’t. Our modifier 59 and X modifiers guide covers the selection logic.

Placement rule most teams get wrong: the distinct-service modifier goes on the lower-valued code in the pair, not on whichever code the biller reaches for first. Reversing that is a documented cause of repeat denials on correctly unbundled claims.

Is a CPT Code a Radiology Code? How to Tell

A CPT code belongs to the radiology section when it falls between 70010 and 79999. Nuclear medicine and radiation oncology sit inside that range but get credentialed and billed separately at many organizations. Several services radiology departments perform every day fall outside it entirely.

Commonly Questioned Codes and Where They Actually Sit

This matters operationally, not academically. Section placement decides which fee schedule column applies, whether the PC/TC split is available at all, and which credentialing panel the interpreting physician needs before the claim gets paid. Get that wrong and the code itself won’t save it.

NCCI Edits, MUEs, and Bundling Rules in Radiology

The National Correct Coding Initiative prevents payment for services that shouldn’t be reported together. Two edit types govern radiology claims: procedure-to-procedure edits, which block specific code pairs, and medically unlikely edits, which cap units per date of service.

The core radiology bundling rule: when a procedure’s descriptor or CPT instructions indicate that it includes radiologic guidance, a separate guidance code generally isn’t separately reportable. Most radiology bundling denials start here.

High-frequency radiology bundling pairs worth checking before submission:

• Fluoroscopic guidance billed alongside joint injection codes that already include it
• Ultrasound guidance billed with thoracentesis and paracentesis codes
• Imaging guidance billed with the new lower extremity revascularization codes, which include it
• Separate supervision and interpretation billed with TEVAR codes 33880, 33881, 33882, 33883, and 33886, which now include it
• Guidance billed with 61624 or 61626, now inclusive of all supervision and interpretation
• Mammography billed with 19281 or 19282 for the same encounter
• 3D postprocessing billed with CTA codes, or with 2027 MRA codes 70544 to 70549, which now include it

The NCCI Update Cadence Radiology Teams Miss

Two documents govern, and they don’t move on the same schedule. The NCCI Policy Manual updates annually, effective January 1. The procedure-to-procedure edit files update quarterly, effective January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.

Version 32.0 took effect January 1, 2026, and 32.1 followed on April 1. CMS Transmittal R13667CP put Version 32.2 into effect on July 1, 2026. Version 32.3 has applied since October 1, 2026, and Version 33.0 takes effect January 1, 2027.

Each quarterly file adds and deletes code pairs. A claim coded right under one quarter's file still denies if your team checked the wrong quarter for that date of service. The current files sit on the CMS NCCI PTP edits page.

That’s the audit finding nobody expects. The code was right, the documentation was right, and the edit file the biller checked was three months stale. Those land as CO-97 bundling denials, and they appeal poorly because the edit was valid on the date of service.

Medical Necessity and ICD-10 Pairing for Radiology Claims

Every radiology claim needs an ICD-10-CM code that independently justifies the study. The diagnosis has to match the clinical indication documented in the ordering provider’s order. Symptom codes work only while no confirmed diagnosis exists, and payers expect the code to sharpen once imaging resolves the question.

Common Radiology ICD-10 to CPT Pairings

Two of these families cause more back-and-forth than the rest. Our back pain ICD-10 codes guide covers the M54 category in depth, and the knee pain ICD-10 codes guide handles the laterality rule that trips up extremity MRI claims when the diagnosis and the modifier don’t agree.

Specificity Is What Survives Review

A category header with billable child codes underneath it isn’t billable itself. The claim needs the specific code the imaging supports. Defaulting to an unspecified symptom code when the report describes a structural finding creates avoidable denial risk and weakens the record if the payer audits later.

You know the pattern. The radiologist writes four precise paragraphs describing a structural abnormality, and the claim goes out with an unspecified symptom code because that’s what sat on the order. That claim comes back as a CO-50 medical necessity denial, and the appeal costs more staff time than the fix would have.

Prior Authorization for Radiology: What Requires It and Who Decides

Most commercial payers route advanced imaging through a radiology benefit manager that maintains its own code list, separate from the annual CPT update. CT, MRI, PET, and nuclear cardiology almost always require authorization. Plain film X-ray and most ultrasound rarely do.

Prior Authorization Requirements by Imaging Type

Benefit manager code lists move on their own schedule, not the CPT calendar. Pull the current list per payer at least quarterly and build the check into scheduling instead of billing. That’s where prior authorization services belong operationally, because by the time a claim reaches the biller the study already happened.

Authorization has to be active on the date of service. An approval that expired between scheduling and the appointment denies the same as no approval at all. Retroactive authorization exists in limited circumstances, and it’s never something to plan around.

A technically perfect claim still denies. Correct code, correct modifier, complete documentation, and no active authorization equals a denied claim with no coding fix available. Those arrive as CO-197 authorization denials, and the study is already done.

What Changed in Radiology CPT Codes for 2026

The 2026 CPT code set introduced 418 editorial changes across all sections, including 288 new codes, 84 deletions, and 46 revisions, effective January 1, 2026, per the American Medical Association. Radiology and interventional radiology absorbed a large share of them.

2026 Radiology CPT Code Changes

The lower extremity rebuild is the one that changes daily documentation. Coding now depends on the vessel treated, the technology used, and whether the lesion is a stenosis or an occlusion. Most operative notes don’t capture all three yet. The American College of Cardiology summarizes the cardiovascular side of the same update.

Deleted codes deny automatically from the first January claim. Chargemasters, order sets, and EHR templates still pointing at retired codes generate front-end rejections no matter how good the documentation is. A medical coding audit against the current code set catches those before the payer does.

Radiology CPT Codes Deleted for 2026 and 2027: Do Not Bill These

Claims submitted with deleted CPT codes deny automatically regardless of documentation quality. The codes below are invalid for the dates of service shown and need to come out of active chargemasters, order sets, and billing templates.

Radiology CPT Codes Deleted Effective January 1, 2026

Do not assume 0600T went with them. CPT revised 0600T rather than deleting it. Use 47384 for liver and 55877 for prostate, and keep 0600T for irreversible electroporation of any other organ.

CPT 2027 adds four more deletions, effective January 1, 2027. Two are prostate biopsy codes, including 55713, which CPT created only a year earlier. The other two are Category III intracoronary balloon codes that cardiology bills. Pull all four from your chargemaster before January claims go out.

Radiology CPT Codes Deleted Effective January 1, 2027

Older Deletions That Still Show Up on Claims

Five earlier deletions keep resurfacing because they still sit on published code lists and inherited cheat sheets. All five reject on submission.

Retired Radiology Codes Still in Circulation

CMS still publishes 76645 in its breast imaging coverage article as valid for dates of service before January 1, 2015, which is how the code keeps getting scraped into lists that present it as current. It isn’t. The CMS breast imaging billing article lists 76641 and 76642 as the current codes.

A chargemaster audit against the current code set takes an afternoon, and it shuts down an entire category of automatic denials before they reach a payer.

Category III Codes and AI in Radiology

Category III codes are temporary codes for emerging technologies, used for data collection while evidence accumulates. They carry no assigned relative value units, so payment is set by individual payer policy rather than the Medicare fee schedule. Coverage varies widely, and many payers decline them outright.

AI and Augmentative Analysis Codes

The 2026 code set expanded coverage of services involving augmented intelligence. The clearest radiology example is coronary plaque quantification, which moved from Category III codes 0623T through 0626T to Category I code 75577. That migration is the signal worth watching. A Category III code becoming Category I is when payers start paying for it, and until that happens most won’t.

CPT 75577 is reported once per coronary CTA, and it doesn’t include interpretation and reporting of the coronary CTA itself, which stays with 75574.

Category III Effective Dates Radiology Teams Miss

Most teams watch January 1 and stop there. Category III codes release on a multi-date cadence, and radiology-adjacent additions carry mid-year and fourth-quarter effective dates. Charge capture has to account for more than one release date per year, and most chargemasters aren’t built that way.

CPT released a new Category III set on July 1, 2026, effective January 1, 2027. It covers breast volumetric ultrasound tomography, quantitative MR of hepatic steatosis, pancreatic histotripsy, and ultrasonic propulsion of urinary calculi. Six time-based codes report digital 3D modeling from surface mesh data.

CPT also extended the sunset date to December 2032 for 0440T to 0442T, 0648T, 0649T, 0689T to 0691T, 0697T, and 0698T. It deleted 0913T and 0914T, the intracoronary drug-delivery balloon codes. Pull both changes into your next chargemaster review.

Documentation requires: confirm individual Category III descriptors and effective dates against a licensed AMA CPT source before you build them into a chargemaster. Payer readiness lags the effective date, often by a full coverage cycle.

2026 and 2027 Radiology Reimbursement: MPFS, RVUs, and the Efficiency Adjustment

Medicare payment for a radiology code is built from work, practice expense, and malpractice relative value units, multiplied by a conversion factor, then adjusted by geographic index for the locality where the service was performed. That structure explains why the same code pays differently across markets.

CMS finalized an efficiency adjustment for CY 2026 that reduces work RVUs and the intraservice portion of physician time by 2.5% for non-time-based services. Time-based codes, services on the telehealth list, and maternity codes with an MMM global period are excluded. Radiology sits inside the affected group, and there’s no opting out of it.

Two conversion factors, starting January 1, 2026: Medicare pays $33.5675 for clinicians who are qualifying participants in an advanced alternative payment model, and $33.4009 for everyone else.

For the technical component of certain diagnostic imaging procedures including CT, Medicare pays the lower of the outpatient prospective payment system amount or the fee schedule amount. That cap explains a discrepancy radiology teams see constantly between what the RVU math predicts and what the claim pays. The math isn’t wrong. The cap gets applied after it.

The gap between billed charge and allowed amount shows up on the remittance as a CO-45 contractual adjustment, which is a write-off rather than a denial. Reading those as denials wastes appeal capacity on claims that paid correctly.

Don’t print a static dollar figure on a wall chart. Relative value files update through the year, and any number you post is stale within a quarter. Pull rates from the CMS Physician Fee Schedule when you need them.

What the CMS 2027 Proposed Rule Means for Radiology

CMS proposes a 2027 conversion factor of $32.8409, down from $33.4009, and $33.1693 for qualifying APM participants, per the ACR summary. The drop comes from the end of the one-year 2.5% statutory increase. CMS hasn't released the final rule yet.

Before the conversion factor change, CMS estimates RVU gains of 2% for radiology and nuclear medicine, and 3% for interventional radiology and radiation oncology. CMS doesn't propose a new efficiency cut for 2027, since it runs that adjustment on a three-year cycle.

New and revised codes can still pick up the efficiency adjustment when their RUC values don't reflect it. Practice expense shifts too. CMS proposes to phase out the indirect practice cost index over two years and cap each code's yearly PE change at 5%.

Two reporting changes ride along. From January 1, 2027, CMS adds telehealth modifiers BB and BC, which carry no payment effect. CMS also asked for comments on duplicate imaging tests. Check the final rule for any follow-up policy before you update your claim edits.

Why Radiology Claims Get Denied and How to Fix Each One

Most radiology denials trace to a short list of repeatable errors. Each one maps to a specific reason code and, more usefully, to a specific upstream fix that stops the next claim from failing the same way.

Top Radiology Denial Causes and Fixes

Two of these codes carry most of the volume in radiology. CO-4 denials point at modifier problems, and CO-16 denials point at missing information, usually laterality on an extremity study.

Working one denial fixes one claim. Finding the pattern behind it stops the next ten. Categorize by reason code, appeal with documentation, and route the cause back to whoever can prevent it: the front desk, the coder, or the ordering provider.

If next month’s report shows the same three denial categories, the cause sits upstream of the appeal. Radiology denial management works each claim, documents the root cause, and feeds it back to the person who can stop the repeat.

Download the 2027 Radiology CPT Codes Cheat Sheet (PDF)

The download collects every table on this page into one printable reference you don’t have to scroll for: all seven code ranges, the modality tables with their 2027 status column, both deleted-code tables, the modifier reference, and the denial-cause matrix.

It’s checked against the 2026 code set and the CPT 2027 changes. It's dated, so you can tell at a glance whether the copy on your desk is current.

MedSole RCM sends the printable PDF with a free billing analysis of your radiology claims, and we reply within one business day. Until it arrives, use the 2026 vs 2027 cheat sheet table near the top of this guide as your quick reference.

Radiology Billing and Coding Services From MedSole RCM

This section is for radiology groups splitting professional and technical components across entities, imaging centers billing the technical side, hospital outpatient departments reconciling OPPS packaging, and the ordering specialties that generate imaging volume daily: cardiology, orthopedics, oncology, urology, and emergency medicine.

MedSole RCM prices full-service medical billing at 2.99% of collections. That rate covers coding review, claim submission, payment posting, denial follow-up, and monthly reporting. You pay no setup fee and sign no long-term contract.

Provider credentialing and payer enrollment run $99 per insurance. A radiology group enrolling 15 payers pays $1,485 in total. Each new radiologist needs enrollment with every payer you bill before the first claim goes out, so start the paperwork when you sign the hire.

That price holds because one team runs the whole cycle. The people confirming authorization before an MRI are the same people tracking the current NCCI edit file and the same people reading the denial pattern review for repeats. One accountability line instead of three vendors who don’t talk to each other, each holding a piece of the same claim.

What Radiology Billing Includes at 2.99%

• Eligibility verification and benefit checks before the study
• Prior authorization tracking, including expiration dates against the date of service
• Coding review against the radiologist’s documentation, not the order
• Claim scrubbing and electronic submission
• Payment posting and reconciliation
• Denial management with documented root-cause correction
• Monthly performance reporting by payer and denial category

All of it runs inside end-to-end revenue cycle management, so the contrast rule, the modifier logic, and the authorization check live with the same team.

If radiology denials keep landing in the same three categories, a free billing analysis shows which ones they are and what they cost you. The review carries no commitment and no contract, and you keep the findings either way.

Radiology CPT Codes: Frequently Asked Questions

What are radiology CPT codes?

Radiology CPT codes are five-digit procedure codes maintained by the American Medical Association that report diagnostic imaging, image-guided procedures, and radiation therapy. They occupy the 70010 to 79999 range and appear on nearly every imaging claim submitted in the United States.

What is the CPT code range for radiology services?

Radiology CPT codes run from 70010 to 79999 in seven subsections. Diagnostic radiology covers 70010 to 76499, diagnostic ultrasound 76506 to 76999, and radiologic guidance 77001 to 77022. Breast imaging runs 77046 to 77067, and bone and joint studies run 77071 to 77092. Radiation oncology covers 77261 to 77799, and nuclear medicine covers 78012 to 79999. The ranges stay the same for 2027, so a range list printed in 2026 still holds. The new fiducial marker codes sit in the 20000 surgery series, outside these ranges.

How is the CPT radiology section organized?

The CPT radiology section has seven subsections by modality: diagnostic radiology, ultrasound, radiologic guidance, breast imaging, bone and joint studies, radiation oncology, and nuclear medicine. Inside diagnostic radiology, codes move down the body. Head and neck studies start at 70010, chest at 71045, spine and pelvis at 72020, and extremities at 73000. The abdomen follows at 74018, then GI, urinary, heart, and vascular studies.

Is CPT 76000 a radiology code?

Yes. CPT 76000 reports fluoroscopy and sits in the diagnostic radiology subsection. Its separate-procedure designation makes it look like a surgical add-on, which is why coders question it, but it belongs to the radiology section.

Is CPT 78452 a radiology code?

Yes. CPT 78452 reports myocardial perfusion imaging by SPECT, multiple studies, and it sits in the nuclear medicine subsection of the radiology section. Cardiology practices bill it constantly, which is why it reads as a cardiology code.

Is CPT 78306 radiology?

Yes. CPT 78306 reports a whole-body bone scan and belongs to the nuclear medicine subsection. Use 78300 for a limited area and 78305 for multiple areas. A three-phase study is 78315, and it isn’t a whole-body code.

What are the new CPT codes for radiology in 2026?

CPT 2026 added 70471 for combined CTA of the head and neck, plus 70472 and 70473 for CT cerebral perfusion. Lower extremity revascularization moved to 46 new codes, 37254 through 37299, and surface radiation therapy gained 77436 through 77439.

What are the new CPT codes for radiology in 2027?

CPT 2027 adds three codes that report MRA of the head and neck together, one for each contrast status. CMS lists them as 70XX4, 70XX5, and 70XX6 in its proposed rule, so take the final numbers from the CPT 2027 codebook. CPT also adds two codes for fiducial marker placement in bone. It revises 70544 to 70549 and deletes prostate biopsy codes 55706 and 55713, effective January 1, 2027.

What is the CPT code for MRA of the head and neck in 2027?

For 2027, CPT adds a combined code for each contrast status when you image the head and neck in one session. The CMS proposed rule lists them as 70XX4 without contrast, 70XX5 with contrast, and 70XX6 without then with. Take the final numbers from the CPT 2027 codebook. When you image only the head, bill 70544 to 70546. For the neck alone, bill 70547 to 70549.

Are CPT codes 70544 to 70549 changing in 2027?

Yes. CPT 2027 revises all six MRA codes to include postprocessing of the angiographic images. Head MRA stays 70544, 70545, and 70546, and neck MRA stays 70547, 70548, and 70549, split by contrast status. CMS proposes work RVUs of 1.17 for 70544, 70545, and 70547, 1.44 for 70546, 1.46 for 70548, and 1.76 for 70549. The final rule sets the 2027 values.

What is the difference between modifier TC and modifier 26?

Modifier TC reports the technical component: equipment, technologist time, and facility overhead. Modifier 26 reports the professional component, meaning the radiologist’s interpretation and written report. When one entity owns both, bill the code globally with no modifier.

What are the CPT codes for MRI and CT scans?

Most CT and MRI studies carry three codes by contrast status. CT of the abdomen and pelvis uses 74176, 74177, and 74178. MRI of the brain uses 70551, 70552, and 70553. MRI of the lumbar spine uses 72148, 72149, and 72158.

What is the CPT code for a chest X-ray?

Chest X-ray codes run by view count. Bill 71045 for a single view, 71046 for two views, 71047 for three views, and 71048 for four or more. The radiologist's report has to document each view you bill. A three-view study billed as 71046 loses the third view, and a two-view study billed as 71047 invites an audit finding. CPT 2027 leaves these codes in place.

What is the CPT code for a foot X-ray?

Bill 73620 for a foot X-ray with two views and 73630 for a complete study with at least three views. Add RT or LT, since payers check laterality on unilateral extremity studies and deny claims that leave it off. When you image both feet, follow each payer's rule: RT and LT on separate lines, or modifier 50 on one line. The report has to document each view.

Is CPT 77080 a DEXA scan?

Yes. CPT 77080 reports a DXA bone density study of the axial skeleton, covering the hips, pelvis, and spine. Medicare covers bone mass measurement once every 24 months for qualified beneficiaries unless documentation supports a shorter interval.

Do radiology CPT codes change every year?

Yes. The American Medical Association publishes a new CPT code set every January 1. Deleted codes deny automatically from the first claim of the year, so chargemasters, order sets, and templates need an annual review against the current set.

What is the current NCCI version for radiology claims?

NCCI Version 32.3 has applied since October 1, 2026, and covers dates of service through December 31. Version 33.0 takes effect January 1, 2027. CMS updates the procedure-to-procedure edit files each quarter, so check the file that matches each claim's date of service. A claim coded right under the wrong quarter's file can still deny as a bundling error.

Does Medicare pay more for radiology in 2027?

Not on the conversion factor. CMS proposes $32.8409 for 2027, down from $33.4009, because the one-year 2.5% statutory increase ends. Before that change, CMS estimates RVU gains of 2% for radiology and nuclear medicine and 3% for interventional radiology and radiation oncology. Your net change depends on your code mix and locality. The final rule, not yet released, sets the numbers.

Do radiology CPT codes require prior authorization?

It depends on the modality and the payer. CT, MRI, PET, and nuclear cardiology almost always require authorization through a radiology benefit manager. Plain film X-ray and most ultrasound rarely do. Benefit manager lists change independently of CPT.

What does radiology medical billing cost?

Most billing companies price radiology billing as a percentage of collections, and the rate depends on volume, payer mix, and the services included. MedSole RCM charges 2.99% of collections for full-service billing, with no setup fee and no long-term contract. That rate covers coding review, claim submission, payment posting, denial management, and monthly reporting. Ask any vendor to list what its rate leaves out.

How much does MedSole RCM charge for radiology billing and credentialing?

MedSole RCM charges 2.99% of collections for full-service radiology billing. Credentialing and payer enrollment cost $99 per insurance, so a radiologist enrolling with 15 payers pays $1,485. There's no setup fee and no long-term contract, and you can stop month to month. To see what your practice would pay, request a free billing analysis. We reply within one business day.

Is there a radiology CPT codes cheat sheet PDF?

Yes. The 2026 vs 2027 cheat sheet table near the top of this guide lists the high-volume radiology codes and what changes for 2027. MedSole RCM also sends a printable 2027 radiology CPT codes PDF with a free billing analysis of your imaging claims. We reply within one business day. Use the table as your quick reference until the PDF arrives.

Radiology CPT Coding in 2027: What Keeps Claims Paid

Seven rules carry most of the weight. Each one stands on its own, and each one maps to a denial you can stop this month.

1. Use the current subsection ranges. Radiologic guidance ends at 77022 and nuclear medicine starts at 78012.
2. Code from the report, not the order. Contrast status and view count follow the documentation every time.
3. Bill globally when one entity owns both components. Append 26 or TC only when two entities bill separately.
4. Check the current quarter’s NCCI edit file. Version 32.3 applies through December 31, 2026, and 33.0 takes effect January 1, 2027.
5. Audit the chargemaster against the current code set once a year. Deleted codes deny automatically.
6. Verify authorization at scheduling and track its expiration. A correct claim with no active authorization still denies.
7. Load the 2027 MRA codes before January. Head and neck MRA in one session moves to a single combined code.

The codes change every January and the edit files change every quarter. The practices that stay paid are the ones checking both, and they don’t wait for a denial to tell them something moved.