CPT code 78800: Tumor imaging, single area, one day2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $231.80 for 78800 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $200.89–$324.36.

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

What 78800 covers

This service covers planar nuclear medicine imaging after administration of a radiopharmaceutical to assess tumor location in one body area, such as a region of clinical concern in an oncology evaluation. A nuclear medicine technologist performs the acquisition, with interpretation by a qualified physician, commonly a radiologist or nuclear medicine physician. The study is selected when the examination covers one area and imaging occurs on one day, rather than multiple areas, whole-body imaging, or SPECT-based imaging.

The record should identify the clinical indication, radiopharmaceutical study, imaged area, acquisition method, and imaging date. Choose the code based on the study performed, not simply the number of images obtained. CMS recognizes separately priced professional and technical components: report modifier 26 for the interpretation, modifier TC for equipment and staff, or no component modifier when billing the global service. The physician’s report should support the diagnostic interpretation of the acquired images.

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 78800 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

78800 rates by state

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

How the 78800 rate is calculated

Each of 78800’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 78800

The CMS indicators that decide how 78800 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

78800 compared with similar codes

How to choose

78801Tumor imagingTwo or more areas, one day

Choose 78800 when imaging is limited to one area on one day; 78801 covers multiple areas and permits imaging over one or more days.

78803Tumor SPECTSingle body area

78800 represents planar imaging of one area. Use 78803 when the tumor-localization acquisition is performed with SPECT.

78830Tumor SPECT/CTSingle imaging area

78830 describes SPECT tumor-localization imaging with CT for one area; 78800 is for planar imaging without that SPECT/CT approach.

Codes related to 78800

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