CPT code 71260: Chest CT with contrast, contrast-enhanced images only2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Massachusetts
Diagnostic chest CT acquired after IV contrast, without a precontrast diagnostic series, for evaluating masses, lymph nodes, infection, or mediastinal and pleural disease.
Medicare pays $173.34–$192.32 for 71260 in the office in Massachusetts, from Rest of Massachusetts to Metropolitan Boston, MA. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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What 71260 covers
This study images the lungs, mediastinum, pleura, chest wall, and great vessels after intravenous contrast administration. A separate precontrast diagnostic series is not acquired. Common indications include staging or restaging lung, esophageal, and breast cancers or lymphoma; characterizing a mediastinal or hilar mass; evaluating suspected empyema or abscess; and assessing lymphadenopathy. A CT technologist acquires the images in a hospital, imaging center, or office-based practice, and a radiologist interprets them in a signed report.
Select 71260 when the diagnostic chest images are acquired after contrast without a separate precontrast diagnostic series. The imaging record and report should support the indication, IV contrast use, technique, and findings. Billing without a modifier claims the global service when the billing entity provides both components. Modifier 26 identifies the interpretation; modifier TC identifies the equipment and staff portion. When eligible diagnostic imaging studies are furnished to the same patient on the same day, Medicare's multiple procedure reduction can affect both the technical and professional components of lower-ranked services.
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.
Where 71260 pays more and less in Massachusetts
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Boston, MA | $192.32 | Unavailable |
| Rest of Massachusetts | $173.34 | Unavailable |
How the 71260 rate is calculated
Each of 71260’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.
How the rate is built · 71260
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.13
1.13 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense3.77
3.77 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.09
0.09 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
4.9900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$166.67
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 71260
The CMS indicators that decide how 71260 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 71260
Chest CT with contrast, contrast-enhanced images only
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 4 | Diagnostic imaging reduction applies to the technical component (and professional component) of additional services. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 1 | Diagnostic test with separate professional (26) and technical (TC) components. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 26 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
71260 without 26 · national office
$166.67
Chest CT with contrast, contrast-enhanced images only
71260-26 · Professional component
$53.78
Pays only the interpretation and report.
71260 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 71250Chest CTDiagnostic, without contrast
- 71250 is diagnostic chest CT without contrast, commonly used for nodule follow-up or interstitial lung disease. Use 71260 when the diagnostic chest images are acquired after IV contrast without a precontrast diagnostic series.
- 71270Chest CTWithout and with contrast
- 71270 describes a chest CT with both precontrast and postcontrast diagnostic series. If the diagnostic images are acquired only after contrast, report 71260.
- 71275CT angiographyChest vessels
- 71275 is chest CT angiography, using angiographic acquisition and image postprocessing for vascular questions such as pulmonary embolism or aortic dissection. Routine contrast-enhanced diagnostic chest CT is 71260.
- 71271Lung screening CTLow-dose, without contrast
- 71271 is low-dose chest CT without contrast for lung cancer screening in eligible asymptomatic patients. Use 71260 for a contrast-enhanced diagnostic chest CT when its imaging technique is performed.
71260 billing questions
When should this code be chosen over the without-contrast or with-and-without chest CT codes?
Use 71260 when diagnostic chest images are acquired after IV contrast without a separate precontrast diagnostic series. Report 71250 for a study without contrast or 71270 when both precontrast and postcontrast diagnostic series are obtained.
Can this code be reported for a CT to rule out pulmonary embolism?
A chest CT angiography study performed with a pulmonary embolism protocol is reported with 71275. Use 71260 for a routine contrast-enhanced chest CT rather than an angiographic study.
How is a CT of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis with contrast coded?
Report 71260 for the chest and 74177 for the abdomen and pelvis when each study meets its descriptor. Medicare's diagnostic imaging multiple procedure reduction can affect the technical and professional components of eligible lower-ranked services furnished on the same day.
Which modifier does a radiologist reading a hospital outpatient study use?
The radiologist appends modifier 26 to report only the interpretation. A freestanding center reports the global service without a component modifier only when it bills for both the technical service and interpretation.
Is the contrast agent separately billable?
Contrast injection is part of the CT service. A contrast supply may be reported separately when permitted in the billing setting; choose a HCPCS supply code that matches the agent and its iodine concentration rather than using Q9967 for every low-osmolar agent.
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
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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