CPT code 73219: Extremity MRI, contrast, non-joint area2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $329.67 for 73219 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $289.36–$454.53.

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

What 73219 covers

This service is MRI of an upper-limb area outside a joint, performed after contrast administration. Common clinical questions include characterization of a soft-tissue mass, suspected infection, or assessment of an abnormality in the arm, forearm, or hand. A technologist acquires the images, and a radiologist typically interprets them in a hospital or imaging-center setting. A joint-centered examination belongs to the separate MRI joint code family.

Select this code when the study is performed with contrast but does not include both noncontrast and postcontrast imaging; use the without-and-with code when both are performed. The order and report should identify the imaged region, the clinical concern, contrast use, and the radiologist’s findings. Modifier 26 represents interpretation, while modifier TC represents equipment and staff; without either modifier, the claim represents the global service. CMS applies diagnostic imaging multiple procedure reductions to both components. When both sides are imaged, each side is paid separately at 100%.

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 73219 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

73219 rates by state

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

How the 73219 rate is calculated

Each of 73219’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 73219

The CMS indicators that decide how 73219 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

73219 compared with similar codes

How to choose

73218Extremity MRINon-joint, without contrast

73218 is for an upper-extremity MRI without contrast. Choose 73219 when contrast is used.

73220Extremity MRIWithout and with contrast

73220 represents imaging both before and after contrast; 73219 is for the contrast-enhanced study without that combined acquisition.

73222Joint MRIUpper extremity, with contrast

73222 is for a contrast-enhanced MRI centered on an upper-extremity joint. Use 73219 for an area outside a joint.

73201Extremity CTWith contrast

73201 is a CT examination with contrast, rather than MRI. The modality documented as performed determines which code family applies.

Codes related to 73219

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