CPT code 78582: Lung scan, ventilation and perfusion2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $290.59 for 78582 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $253.25–$404.17.

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

What 78582 covers

A nuclear medicine team acquires images of air distribution after the patient inhales a radiotracer and blood flow after an intravenous radiotracer. A nuclear medicine physician interprets the paired patterns, often for evaluation of suspected pulmonary embolism. The study is typically performed in a hospital or outpatient imaging department, with imaging staff handling tracer administration and acquisition.

Report 78582 when both ventilation and perfusion imaging are performed as a paired lung study; ventilation-only or perfusion-only imaging is reported with a different code. Documentation should support both portions of the examination and include the resulting interpretation. CMS recognizes professional and technical components: report modifier 26 for the interpretation, modifier TC for the equipment and staff, or no component modifier for 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 78582 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

78582 rates by state

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

How the 78582 rate is calculated

Each of 78582’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 78582

The CMS indicators that decide how 78582 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

78582 compared with similar codes

How to choose

78579Lung scanVentilation only

78579 covers ventilation imaging alone. Choose 78582 when the examination also includes perfusion imaging.

78580Lung perfusion scanPerfusion only

78580 covers perfusion imaging alone. Choose 78582 when ventilation imaging is also performed.

78598Lung V/Q imagingDifferential ventilation and perfusion

78598 is for differential ventilation and perfusion imaging used to assess distribution quantitatively; 78582 reports the paired lung imaging study.

Codes related to 78582

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