CPT code 78808: Radiopharmaceutical injection, diagnostic intravenous administration2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Maryland
Reports intravenous administration of a radiopharmaceutical for a diagnostic study, separately from the imaging acquisition and interpretation.
Medicare pays $41.47–$47.59 for 78808 in the office in Maryland, from Rest of Maryland to Washington, DC area. 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 78808 covers
This service covers an intravenous injection of a radiopharmaceutical used for diagnostic imaging. It is performed in connection with a nuclear medicine study, such as tumor-localization imaging. Nuclear medicine staff may administer the agent in an outpatient imaging department or hospital nuclear medicine service; the code describes the injection, not the images or their interpretation.
Report 78808 when the documented service is the diagnostic IV administration itself. The record should identify the agent administered, the IV route, the diagnostic indication, and the associated study. CMS identifies this as an incident-to service: it may be billed only when performed under physician supervision. The imaging acquisition and interpretation are distinct services and should be coded according to the study performed.
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 78808 pays more and less in Maryland
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
3 payment localities
$41.47 to $47.59
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore area, MD | $43.90 | Unavailable |
| Rest of Maryland | $41.47 | Unavailable |
| Washington, DC area | $47.59 | Unavailable |
How the 78808 rate is calculated
Each of 78808’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 · 78808
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.18
0.18 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.02
1.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.03
0.03 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
1.2300
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$41.08
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 78808
The CMS indicators that decide how 78808 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 78808
Radiopharmaceutical injection, diagnostic intravenous administration
| 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 | 5 | Incident-to service. |
78808 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 78800Tumor imagingSingle area, one day
- Use 78808 for the diagnostic IV radiopharmaceutical administration; 78800 describes tumor-localization imaging of a limited area.
- 78802Tumor imagingWhole body, single day
- 78808 describes the injection. 78802 describes whole-body tumor-localization imaging.
- 78811PET imagingLimited area
- 78808 reports IV administration for a diagnostic study; 78811 reports PET image acquisition for a limited area.
78808 billing questions
Does 78808 report the diagnostic images?
No. It reports the IV radiopharmaceutical injection. The imaging acquisition and interpretation are separate services.
How is 78808 different from 78800?
78808 describes IV administration of a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical. 78800 describes limited-area tumor-localization imaging.
Can 78808 be reported with a tumor-localization study?
It may be reported with a diagnostic study when the IV injection is performed and documented. The study code describes the imaging service, not the injection.
Who may perform the injection for billing 78808?
CMS treats 78808 as an incident-to service. It may be billed only when performed under physician supervision.
What documentation supports 78808?
Document the diagnostic radiopharmaceutical, IV administration, indication, and associated diagnostic study.
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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