CPT code 23350: Shoulder injection2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports contrast injection into the shoulder joint to support arthrography or enhanced CT or MRI, separately from the diagnostic imaging service.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities20.8K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $156.98 for 23350 nationally in the office and $42.09 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $138.43–$212.78.

Medicare rate · 23350

Shoulder injection

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
0.98
Total RVUs
4.70
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$156.98

Office setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 23350 →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.

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 23350 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 23350 covers

This service places contrast material into the shoulder joint so imaging can show joint structures more clearly. It is commonly performed by a radiologist or other qualified clinician in an imaging department, using imaging guidance to direct the needle. The injection supports shoulder arthrography or CT or MRI performed with intra-articular contrast; it is not the same service as a therapeutic shoulder injection.

Report 23350 for the contrast injection, and report the imaging examination separately when performed. Documentation should identify the shoulder and side, the diagnostic purpose, and the contrast administration. For bilateral procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to a 50% reduction. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; 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 23350 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

$138.43 to $212.78

$138.43$175.61$212.78
One dot per payment locality, office / nonfacility. Hover a dot to see the locality; select it to open that rate.

109 of 109 payment localities

23350 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Alabama$140.52$39.99
Alaska$179.88$57.51
Arizona$152.79$41.46
Arkansas$138.43$39.73
Atlanta, GA$159.63$42.89
Austin, TX$163.74$42.18
Bakersfield, CA$168.07$42.14
Baltimore area, MD$167.07$43.78
Beaumont, TX$145.86$41.30
Brazoria, TX$155.49$41.63

23350 rates by state

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

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

$138.43

$190.29

Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.

View every state and territory as a table
23350 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AK$179.881
AL$140.521
AR$138.431
AZ$152.791
CA$167.79–$212.7829
CO$164.481
CT$167.611
DC$180.671
DE$155.391
FL$153.16–$166.553
GA$144.47–$159.632
GU$172.331
HI$172.331
IA$144.871
ID$145.701
IL$148.13–$162.814
IN$146.591
KS$143.851
KY$143.271
LA$142.91–$150.242
MA$163.32–$181.522
MD$158.52–$180.673
ME$146.15–$154.782
MI$146.82–$154.802
MN$158.381
MO$140.17–$151.173
MS$139.351
MT$156.981
NC$147.781
ND$155.201
NE$145.781
NH$161.581
NJ$169.74–$178.652
NM$147.531
NV$156.601
NY$150.03–$184.575
OH$146.461
OK$143.341
OR$155.61–$170.202
PA$146.88–$163.122
PR$158.271
RI$161.281
SC$147.321
SD$154.991
TN$144.561
TX$145.86–$163.748
UT$149.401
VA$154.04–$180.672
VI$158.271
VT$154.291
WA$163.12–$185.592
WI$149.811
WV$142.401
WY$156.201

How the 23350 rate is calculated

Each of 23350’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 · 23350

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work0.98

0.98 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense3.63

3.63 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.09

0.09 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

4.7000

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$156.98

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 23350

The CMS indicators that decide how 23350 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 23350

Shoulder injection

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

23350 without 50 · national office

$156.98

Shoulder injection

23350-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$235.47

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).

When to use modifier 50

23350 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 23350

    Shoulder injection0.98 wRVU

    $156.98

  • 20610

    Joint injection0.77 wRVU

    $68.81−$88.17

  • 73040

    Shoulder arthrography0.53 wRVU

    $134.61−$22.37

  • 73222

    Joint MRI1.58 wRVU

    $312.63+$155.65

How to choose

20610Joint injection
20610 reports aspiration or injection of a major joint for a therapeutic or diagnostic purpose other than arthrographic contrast delivery. Use 23350 for shoulder-joint contrast injection supporting imaging.
73040Shoulder arthrography
73040 reports the shoulder arthrography imaging examination, while 23350 reports injecting contrast into the joint. They may be reported together when both services are performed.
73222Joint MRI
73222 reports MRI of an upper-extremity joint with contrast; 23350 reports the shoulder-joint contrast injection that may support the MRI.

23350 billing questions

How is 23350 different from a therapeutic shoulder injection?

Use 23350 when contrast is injected into the shoulder joint for diagnostic imaging. A therapeutic injection or aspiration of a major joint is reported with a different code, such as 20610, when that service is performed.

Is the imaging examination included in 23350?

No. 23350 reports the contrast injection; report the shoulder arthrography, CT, or MRI examination separately when performed.

How should bilateral shoulder injections be reported?

Report the bilateral procedure with modifier 50. CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.

What documentation supports reporting 23350?

Document the shoulder and side, the diagnostic imaging purpose, and that contrast was administered into the joint. The record should distinguish this diagnostic injection from a therapeutic injection.

Does the 0-day global period include same-day care?

Yes. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the 0-day global period.

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
RVUs for 23350PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,192 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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