CPT code 73221: Joint MRI, upper extremity, no contrast2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $205.08 for 73221 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $181.35–$278.37.

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

What 73221 covers

This service uses magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate an upper-extremity joint without contrast material. Common targets include the shoulder, elbow, and wrist; clinicians may request the study for suspected rotator cuff or labral injury, internal joint derangement, or unexplained joint pain. An imaging technologist acquires the images, and a radiologist or other qualified physician interprets them in an outpatient imaging center or hospital department.

Select this code when the study is directed at a joint rather than a nonjoint region of the arm, and when contrast is not used. The order and report should identify the joint and clinical reason for imaging, and the record should support the performed protocol. The global service includes the technical work and interpretation; modifier 26 reports interpretation only, and modifier TC reports the technical portion only. CMS applies the diagnostic imaging multiple procedure reduction to both components. For bilateral imaging, 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 73221 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

73221 rates by state

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

How the 73221 rate is calculated

Each of 73221’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 73221

The CMS indicators that decide how 73221 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

73221 compared with similar codes

How to choose

73218Extremity MRINon-joint, without contrast

This code is for MRI focused on a joint. Code 73218 applies when the target is an upper-extremity region rather than a joint.

73222Joint MRIUpper extremity, with contrast

Both describe MRI of an upper-extremity joint, but 73222 is used when contrast is administered.

73223Joint MRIWithout and with contrast

Use 73223 for joint imaging performed both without and with contrast; use this code for imaging without contrast.

Codes related to 73221

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