Billing code 19283: Breast localizationMedicare rate & RVUs
Percutaneous placement of a localization device in a breast lesion using stereotactic imaging guidance, reported for the first lesion treated with that guidance method.
Medicare pays $250.17 for 19283 nationally in the office and $84.17 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $221.67–$332.77.
Medicare rate · 19283
Breast localization
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 1.95
- Total RVUs
- 7.49
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$250.17
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 19283 → · Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 10 sections
What 19283 covers
A breast imaging physician or radiologist uses stereotactic imaging to guide a localization device through the skin to a breast lesion, commonly one that is not palpable and needs to be identified for surgical removal. The service is performed in a breast imaging department or other outpatient setting before the planned excision. The device helps the surgeon find the target; the code covers placement and the associated imaging guidance.
Report this code for the first lesion localized using stereotactic guidance. Documentation should identify the target, laterality, guidance method, and device placement; report 19284 for each additional stereotactically localized lesion. The code has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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 19283 pays more and less
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
109 payment localities
$221.67 to $332.77
109 of 109 payment localities
19283 rates by state
Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.
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Local rates. Clear comparisons.
Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.
$221.67
$298.95
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
View every state and territory as a table
| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $291.16 | 1 |
| AL | $224.88 | 1 |
| AR | $221.67 | 1 |
| AZ | $243.64 | 1 |
| CA | $265.12–$332.77 | 29 |
| CO | $260.81 | 1 |
| CT | $266.66 | 1 |
| DC | $286.17 | 1 |
| DE | $247.65 | 1 |
| FL | $245.87–$268.20 | 3 |
| GA | $232.29–$254.63 | 2 |
| GU | $271.61 | 1 |
| HI | $271.61 | 1 |
| IA | $230.81 | 1 |
| ID | $232.23 | 1 |
| IL | $238.63–$260.85 | 4 |
| IN | $233.57 | 1 |
| KS | $229.60 | 1 |
| KY | $229.82 | 1 |
| LA | $229.41–$240.62 | 2 |
| MA | $259.23–$286.61 | 2 |
| MD | $252.39–$286.17 | 3 |
| ME | $233.28–$245.98 | 2 |
| MI | $235.59–$248.75 | 2 |
| MN | $250.40 | 1 |
| MO | $225.42–$241.64 | 3 |
| MS | $223.60 | 1 |
| MT | $250.16 | 1 |
| NC | $235.71 | 1 |
| ND | $246.01 | 1 |
| NE | $232.10 | 1 |
| NH | $256.60 | 1 |
| NJ | $269.84–$283.24 | 2 |
| NM | $236.81 | 1 |
| NV | $249.18 | 1 |
| NY | $239.19–$294.00 | 5 |
| OH | $234.74 | 1 |
| OK | $229.56 | 1 |
| OR | $247.38–$269.18 | 2 |
| PA | $235.19–$260.00 | 2 |
| PR | $252.03 | 1 |
| RI | $256.53 | 1 |
| SC | $235.59 | 1 |
| SD | $245.52 | 1 |
| TN | $230.72 | 1 |
| TX | $233.65–$259.83 | 8 |
| UT | $238.78 | 1 |
| VA | $245.08–$286.17 | 2 |
| VI | $252.03 | 1 |
| VT | $244.93 | 1 |
| WA | $258.78–$292.56 | 2 |
| WI | $237.84 | 1 |
| WV | $229.87 | 1 |
| WY | $248.35 | 1 |
How the 19283 rate is calculated
Each of 19283’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 · 19283
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.95Practice expense 5.33Malpractice 0.21
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 19283
The CMS indicators that decide how 19283 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 19283
Breast localization
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| 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 | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
19283 without 50 · national office
$250.17
Breast localization
19283-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$375.26
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
19283 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
19283 vs 19281 vs 19284 vs 19285 vs 19287: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 19281Breast localization
- Choose 19281 for the first lesion when localization uses mammographic guidance. Choose 19283 when the procedure uses stereotactic guidance.
- 19284Breast localization
- 19283 is for the first stereotactically localized lesion; 19284 is for each additional lesion localized with stereotactic guidance.
- 19285Breast localization
- 19285 applies when ultrasound guides localization of the first lesion. 19283 applies when the guidance is stereotactic.
- 19287Breast localization
- 19287 is for first-lesion localization with MR guidance; 19283 is for first-lesion localization with stereotactic guidance.
19283 billing questions
How is 19283 different from 19281?
Both describe percutaneous localization of a first breast lesion, but 19283 uses stereotactic guidance. Use 19281 when the guidance method is mammographic rather than stereotactic.
When is 19284 reported with 19283?
Report 19283 for the first lesion localized stereotactically and 19284 for each additional lesion localized by that method.
Can imaging guidance be billed separately?
The imaging guidance for the localization is included in 19283. The record should support the stereotactic guidance and device placement.
What documentation supports 19283?
Document the breast and lesion targeted, the stereotactic guidance method, and the localization device placement. Record additional targets separately when reporting 19284.
How is bilateral localization reported?
For bilateral procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150% under the CMS facts for this code. The record should support localization in both breasts.
Are assistant surgeons or co-surgeons payable?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.
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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