CPT code 78300: Bone scan, limited area2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

Medicare pays $215.84–$279.07 for 78300 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 78300 covers

This nuclear medicine study images a defined, limited portion of the skeleton. A gamma camera records the distribution of radiopharmaceutical uptake in that region. It may be used to investigate a localized concern, such as focal bone pain or suspected occult injury. The study is typically performed in a nuclear medicine department, with interpretation by a nuclear medicine physician or radiologist.

Select 78300 when the imaging is confined to a limited region; the documented area and images should support that scope. Imaging of multiple areas or the whole body is represented by different bone-imaging codes, while a three-phase study has its own code. Documentation should identify the region examined and include the images and interpreting physician’s report. For Medicare, modifier 26 identifies the professional interpretation and modifier TC identifies the technical service, including equipment and staff. Reporting without either modifier represents the global 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 78300 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 78300 rate is calculated

Each of 78300’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 78300

The CMS indicators that decide how 78300 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

78300 compared with similar codes

How to choose

78305Bone imagingMultiple areas

78300 covers a limited skeletal region; 78305 is for imaging multiple areas. The documented scope of imaging distinguishes them.

78306Bone imagingWhole body

78306 represents whole-body bone imaging, while 78300 is limited to a defined region.

78315Bone imagingThree-phase acquisition

78315 is the code for three-phase bone imaging. 78300 describes limited-area imaging without that three-phase distinction.

78350Bone density studySingle photon

78350 is a bone mineral measurement study using single-photon absorptiometry, not radionuclide imaging of bone uptake.

Codes related to 78300

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