CPT code 73218: Extremity MRI, non-joint, without contrast2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $303.28 for 73218 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $265.59–$419.67.

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

What 73218 covers

This service is an MRI examination of an upper-extremity area that is not being imaged as a joint study, acquired without injected contrast. It can address concerns such as a soft-tissue mass, infection, or injury involving the arm, forearm, or non-joint-focused hand tissues. A radiologic technologist obtains images in a hospital or freestanding imaging center; a radiologist interprets them for the ordering clinician.

Choose this code when the documented target is an upper-extremity region rather than a joint-centered examination. The order and report should identify the body region, laterality, clinical indication, and noncontrast protocol. Report a separate service for each side examined; under CMS, each side is paid separately at 100% when performed bilaterally. The study may be billed globally, or the interpretation may be billed with modifier 26 and the equipment and staff portion with modifier TC; CMS separately prices those components. When multiple diagnostic imaging procedures are billed, the multiple-procedure reduction applies to both the professional and technical 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.

Where 73218 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

73218 rates by state

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

How the 73218 rate is calculated

Each of 73218’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 73218

The CMS indicators that decide how 73218 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

73218 compared with similar codes

How to choose

73221Joint MRIUpper extremity, no contrast

This code is for a non-joint-focused upper-extremity MRI. Choose 73221 when the study is centered on an upper-extremity joint.

73219Extremity MRIContrast, non-joint area

Both codes cover non-joint-focused upper-extremity MRI; 73219 is for a study performed with contrast.

73220Extremity MRIWithout and with contrast

Both codes cover non-joint-focused upper-extremity MRI; 73220 is for imaging performed before and after contrast.

73200CT scanUpper extremity, no contrast

73200 reports a CT examination of the upper extremity without contrast, while this code reports MRI without contrast.

Codes related to 73218

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

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