CPT code 77012: CT guidance, needle placement2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Georgia
Report CT guidance when computed tomography is used to direct percutaneous needle placement, such as for a biopsy or aspiration.
Medicare pays $115.91–$124.87 for 77012 in the office in Georgia, from Rest of Georgia to Atlanta, GA. 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.
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On this page 9 sections
What 77012 covers
This service covers CT imaging used to plan and guide a needle to a target, with images used to check the needle’s position during placement. Radiologists and interventional radiologists commonly perform it in hospital imaging departments, outpatient radiology centers, or other settings equipped for CT-guided procedures. Typical cases include directing a biopsy needle into a lung, liver, kidney, bone, or soft-tissue lesion. The biopsy, aspiration, or other needle procedure is distinct from the imaging guidance service.
Report 77012 when CT provides the guidance for needle placement, rather than fluoroscopy or MRI. Documentation should support the target, the use of CT to guide placement, and the imaging supervision and interpretation. CMS recognizes professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies interpretation, modifier TC identifies the equipment and staff portion, and reporting the code without either modifier represents the global service. The separately priced components may be billed by different entities when each performs its portion.
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 77012 pays more and less in Georgia
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA | $124.87 | Unavailable |
| Rest of Georgia | $115.91 | Unavailable |
How the 77012 rate is calculated
Each of 77012’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.
How the rate is built · 77012
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.46
1.46 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense2.12
2.12 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.10
0.10 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
3.6800
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$122.92
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 77012
The CMS indicators that decide how 77012 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 77012
CT guidance, needle placement
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 1 | Diagnostic test with separate professional (26) and technical (TC) components. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 26 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
77012 without 26 · national office
$122.92
CT guidance, needle placement
77012-26 · Professional component
$67.14
Pays only the interpretation and report.
77012 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 77002Fluoroscopy guidanceNeedle placement
- 77012 is used when CT guides needle placement; 77002 describes fluoroscopic guidance for that purpose.
- 77011CT localizationStereotactic guidance
- 77011 is for CT-guided stereotactic localization. Choose 77012 when CT guides needle placement for a procedure such as biopsy.
- 77013CT guidanceParenchymal tissue ablation
- 77013 is for CT guidance of tissue ablation. 77012 covers CT guidance for needle placement for other interventions.
- 77021MRI needle guidanceNeedle placement
- 77021 describes MRI guidance for needle placement. Use 77012 when CT, rather than MRI, provides the guidance.
77012 billing questions
Does 77012 include the biopsy or aspiration?
No. It represents the CT guidance for needle placement; the biopsy, aspiration, or other intervention is a separate service when separately reportable.
When should 77012 be chosen instead of 77002?
Use 77012 when CT guides the needle. Code 77002 is for fluoroscopic needle guidance.
How are modifiers 26 and TC used?
Modifier 26 identifies the professional interpretation component, and modifier TC identifies the technical component. Without either modifier, the claim represents the global service.
What documentation supports reporting 77012?
Document the target and procedure, use of CT to guide needle placement, and the imaging supervision and interpretation. The record should support the component billed.
Is 77012 used for CT-guided tissue ablation?
Use 77013 for CT guidance of tissue ablation. Use 77012 when CT is guiding needle placement for a different intervention, such as a biopsy.
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
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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