CPT code 70470: Head CT, without and with contrast2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Merced, CA

In Merced, CA, Medicare pays $184.67 for 70470 in the office.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 70470 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 70470 covers

This examination acquires CT images of the head or brain before and after intravenous contrast. Radiologists interpret the images, while CT technologists perform the scan under the ordering clinician’s direction. Common clinical situations include evaluation of a suspected intracranial mass or infection when both unenhanced and contrast-enhanced images are requested. The service is performed in hospital imaging departments and outpatient diagnostic imaging centers.

Report this code when the study includes both the noncontrast and contrast-enhanced phases; use a single code for the complete examination rather than separate codes for each phase. The order and imaging report should support the head or brain anatomy examined and the acquisition of both phases. The service may be billed globally, or the interpretation and the equipment-and-staff portion may be billed separately with modifiers 26 and TC. When multiple diagnostic imaging procedures are performed, Medicare’s multiple-procedure reduction applies to both the technical and professional components.

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 Merced, CA compares for 70470

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 70470 runs from $153.43 in Arkansas to $233.02 in San Benito County, CA. Merced, CA pays $184.67. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

70470 rates by state

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

See 70470 in every payment locality

How the 70470 rate is calculated

Each of 70470’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 70470

The CMS indicators that decide how 70470 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

Codes related to 70470

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

How 70470 has changed in Merced, CA

Price 70470 for an earlier date of service

Where the Merced, CA rate applies

Merced, CA is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 24 cities and communities in California. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Merced
• Atwater
• Ballico
• Bear Creek
• Cressey
• Delhi
• Dos Palos
• Dos Palos Y

Browse all communities in California

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