CPT code 73523: Hip X-ray, bilateral, five or more views2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $61.46 for 73523 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $53.86–$84.39.

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

What 73523 covers

This service covers plain-film imaging of both hips using at least five views for the bilateral examination. A radiologic technologist typically obtains the images in an imaging department, hospital, or orthopedic practice, and a radiologist or other qualified physician interprets them. Clinicians may request this broader series to evaluate bilateral hip pain, degenerative changes, suspected injury, or the position of hip prostheses.

Select the code from the documented bilateral study and total view count: both hips must be examined, with five or more views obtained. The imaging report and order should support the body sites, laterality, views, and clinical reason for the study. CMS recognizes professional and technical components: report modifier 26 for the interpretation, modifier TC for the equipment and staff, or no component modifier when billing the global service. The professional and technical components are separately priced when billed with their respective modifiers.

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 73523 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

73523 rates by state

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

How the 73523 rate is calculated

Each of 73523’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 73523

The CMS indicators that decide how 73523 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

73523 compared with similar codes

How to choose

73521Hip X-rayBilateral, two views

Both codes describe bilateral hip radiographs, but 73521 is for two views; 73523 requires five or more.

73522Hip X-rayBilateral, 3-4 views

Choose 73522 for three or four bilateral views. Choose 73523 when the bilateral examination includes at least five.

73503Hip X-rayUnilateral, four or more views

73503 is for four or more views of one hip. 73523 is for a bilateral examination with five or more views.

73525Hip arthrographyContrast imaging

73525 describes contrast imaging of the hip, rather than the plain-film bilateral examination reported with 73523.

Codes related to 73523

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