CPT code 51605: Bladder study prep, before contrast imaging2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Washington, DC area

In Washington, DC area, Medicare pays $38.59 for 51605 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 51605 nationwide

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 51605 covers

CPT 51605 covers preparation for a bladder radiographic examination. It is associated with cystography and related studies in which contrast is introduced into the urinary tract for imaging. Urologists and radiologists may perform or oversee this work in an imaging department, hospital, or office setting. The service is preparation, not the radiographic interpretation or the contrast-injection procedure itself.

Report 51605 when the record supports that the preparation service was performed for the bladder study; document the intended examination and the work completed. Use 51600 for bladder contrast injection with catheterization, or 51610 for retrograde urethrocystography injection, as appropriate. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. In a same-session multiple-procedure claim, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this service.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

How Washington, DC area compares for 51605

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 51605 runs from $32.24 in Arkansas to $45.16 in Alaska. Washington, DC area pays $38.59. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

51605 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

See 51605 in every payment locality

How the 51605 rate is calculated

Each of 51605’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for 51605

The CMS indicators that decide how 51605 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

Codes related to 51605

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

How 51605 has changed in Washington, DC area

Price 51605 for an earlier date of service

Where the Washington, DC area rate applies

Washington, DC area is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 1 cities and communities in District of Columbia. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Washington

Browse all communities in District of Columbia

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates