CPT code 74018: Abdomen X-ray, single view (KUB)2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $29.73 for 74018 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $26.15–$40.26.

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

What 74018 covers

A technologist obtains one projection of the abdomen, commonly a supine kidney-ureter-bladder (KUB) view, in an office, imaging center, emergency department, or at the bedside. Clinicians order it to evaluate bowel gas in suspected obstruction or ileus, locate radiopaque urinary stones or ingested objects, and check enteric tube position when the anatomy needed for confirmation is visible. A radiologist or other qualified interpreting physician reviews the images and documents findings. More than one exposure may be needed to cover the abdomen without creating another view.

Select 74018 by the number of abdominal projections, not the number of images or findings; document the projection obtained and its interpretation. Two abdominal views belong to 74019, three or more to 74021, and a complete acute abdomen series with chest imaging belongs to 74022. Medicare prices the interpretation separately with modifier 26 and the equipment and staff portion with modifier TC. Bill the combined service without a component modifier when the same billing entity provides both portions. For hospital imaging, the physician generally reports modifier 26; the facility reports its technical service.

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 74018 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

74018 rates by state

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

How the 74018 rate is calculated

Each of 74018’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 74018

The CMS indicators that decide how 74018 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

74018 compared with similar codes

How to choose

74019Abdominal X-rayTwo views

Count abdominal projections rather than exposures: one view is 74018; two views are 74019.

74021Abdominal X-rayThree or more views

Use 74021 for three or more abdominal views rather than the single view covered by 74018. A complete acute abdomen series with a chest view is reported with 74022.

74022Abdominal X-rayComplete acute abdomen series

74022 describes a complete acute abdomen series with multiple abdominal views and a chest view. A single abdominal view, with or without a separately ordered chest film, is not that series.

Codes related to 74018

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