CPT code 76978: Contrast ultrasound, first target lesion2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Colorado

In Colorado, Medicare pays $178.62 for 76978 in the office.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 76978 nationwide

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

What 76978 covers

This service uses ultrasound with an injected microbubble contrast agent to assess a target lesion dynamically, including its perfusion pattern and contrast washout. It is commonly used to characterize indeterminate focal findings, such as a liver lesion, when contrast-enhanced ultrasound can provide information about vascular behavior. Imaging staff acquire the study, and a qualified physician interprets the findings and produces a report. It may be performed in a hospital or outpatient imaging setting.

Report 76978 for the first target lesion; code 76979 is used for each additional lesion when the service meets that code’s requirements. The record should identify the target lesion and document the dynamic contrast assessment and interpretation. The professional component may be reported with modifier 26, the technical component with modifier TC, or the global service without either modifier. The diagnostic imaging multiple procedure reduction applies to both the technical and professional components.

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.

How Colorado compares for 76978

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 76978 runs from $153.48 in Arkansas to $226.53 in San Benito County, CA. Colorado pays $178.62. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

76978 rates by state

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

See 76978 in every payment locality

How the 76978 rate is calculated

Each of 76978’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 76978

The CMS indicators that decide how 76978 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

Codes related to 76978

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

How 76978 has changed in Colorado

Price 76978 for an earlier date of service

Where the Colorado rate applies

Colorado is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 485 cities and communities in Colorado. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Acres Green
• Aetna Estates
• Aguilar
• Air Force Academy
• Akron
• Alamosa
• Alamosa East
• Allenspark

Browse all communities in Colorado

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