CPT code 79445: Intra-arterial therapy, particulate administration2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 79445 in California.

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

What 79445 covers

79445 reports therapeutic radiopharmaceutical administration into an artery using particulate material. Radioembolization with Y-90 microspheres delivered through hepatic arterial branches is a common application for selected liver tumors. Interventional radiology and nuclear medicine teams may be involved in treatment planning and administration; the service is distinct from radiopharmaceutical delivery into a joint or through an intravenous route.

Medicare assigns this code Physician Fee Schedule status C, meaning the Medicare Administrative Contractor prices each claim rather than CMS publishing a national payment. The code has professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies the interpretation, and modifier TC identifies the equipment-and-staff portion. 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 79445 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 79445 rate is calculated

Each of 79445’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 79445

The CMS indicators that decide how 79445 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

79445 compared with similar codes

How to choose

79440Joint radiotherapyIntra-articular administration

79440 describes radiopharmaceutical administration into a joint. Use 79445 for particulate treatment delivered into an artery.

79403Nuclear therapyHematopoietic tumor

79403 describes radiopharmaceutical administration into the hematopoietic system; 79445 is for intra-arterial particulate treatment.

79101Radiopharmaceutical therapyIntravenous route

79101 describes intravenous radiopharmaceutical therapy. Code 79445 is distinguished by intra-arterial particulate administration.

Codes related to 79445

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