CPT code 77077: Joint survey, one view, one or two joints2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $47.43 for 77077 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $41.90–$63.94.

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

What 77077 covers

This service captures a single radiographic projection that surveys one or two joints. It may be used when a clinician needs a broad joint assessment, for example when evaluating hands or feet for inflammatory arthritis. A radiologic technologist performs the imaging, and a radiologist or other qualified physician interprets the images. The service may be furnished in an office imaging department or a hospital radiology department.

Select this code when the study covers one or two joints in a single view; focused imaging with multiple views of a specific joint is coded according to that examination instead. Documentation should identify the joints imaged, the number of views, the clinical reason for the survey, and the interpretation. The professional component may be reported with modifier 26, the technical component with modifier TC, or the complete service without either modifier. CMS separately prices the 26 and TC 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.

Where 77077 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

77077 rates by state

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

How the 77077 rate is calculated

Each of 77077’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 77077

The CMS indicators that decide how 77077 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

77077 compared with similar codes

How to choose

77071Stress radiographsInterpretation and report

77071 involves manually applied stress during joint radiography. This code describes a single-view joint survey without that stress technique.

77074Skeletal surveyLimited examination

77074 is a limited osseous survey, whereas this code is a single-view survey focused on one or two joints.

77075Skeletal surveyComplete examination

77075 covers a complete osseous survey; this code is limited to a single view of one or two joints.

Codes related to 77077

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