CPT code 73718: MRI, nonjoint, without contrast2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

Medicare pays $238.64–$303.41 for 73718 in the office in California, from Chico, CA to San Benito County, CA. 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.

What 73718 covers

This service covers MRI of a lower-extremity region outside a joint, such as the thigh or calf, without contrast. It may be used to assess muscle or tendon injury, a soft-tissue mass, infection, or bone abnormalities. A technologist performs the scan in an imaging department or other MRI-capable setting, and a qualified practitioner interprets the images. When the study is focused on a joint, the joint MRI code family is used instead.

Select the code based on the imaged anatomy and whether contrast was used: this code describes a nonjoint region imaged without contrast. The order and report should identify the body area, side, clinical indication, and imaging protocol. A claim without a component modifier represents the global service; modifier 26 identifies interpretation, while modifier TC identifies equipment and staff. When multiple diagnostic imaging services are reported, the multiple-procedure reduction applies to both professional and technical components. For bilateral performance, 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 73718 pays more and less in California

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

29 of 29 payment localities

How the 73718 rate is calculated

Each of 73718’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 73718

The CMS indicators that decide how 73718 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

73718 compared with similar codes

How to choose

73719Extremity MRIWith contrast, non-joint

Both cover nonjoint lower-extremity MRI, but 73719 is for imaging with contrast; this code is for imaging without contrast.

73720MRINon-joint, without and with contrast

73720 describes a nonjoint MRI performed without and with contrast. This code describes a study performed without contrast only.

73721Lower extremity joint MRIWithout contrast

73721 is for MRI focused on a lower-extremity joint without contrast. Use this code when the imaged region is outside a joint.

73700Extremity CTWithout contrast material

73700 describes a lower-extremity CT without contrast, not MRI. The modality performed determines which code applies.

Codes related to 73718

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