Billing code 62304: Myelography injectionMedicare rate & RVUs
Reports lumbar intrathecal contrast injection for myelographic imaging or CT when the examination requires evaluation of the lumbar spinal canal.
Medicare pays $242.49 for 62304 nationally in the office and $100.87 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $216.09–$318.73.
Medicare rate · 62304
Myelography injection
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 2.19
- Total RVUs
- 7.26
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$242.49
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 62304 → · 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 62304 covers
A clinician places a needle into the lumbar subarachnoid space and injects contrast for myelographic imaging or CT of the spinal canal. Radiologists commonly perform the procedure in a hospital or outpatient imaging department when evaluation of lumbar narrowing, nerve-root compression, or postoperative anatomy calls for myelography. The code is specific to injection at the lumbar region; the extent of the imaging examination does not change the injection site selection.
Report 62304 when the documented procedure injects contrast at the lumbar level for myelography or CT, rather than a diagnostic spinal puncture without myelographic contrast. Documentation should identify the lumbar puncture, contrast injection, and imaging purpose. It has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate; assistant-at-surgery payment is statutorily restricted, and 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 62304 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
$216.09 to $318.73
109 of 109 payment localities
62304 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.
$216.09
$287.31
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
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| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $286.29 | 1 |
| AL | $219.05 | 1 |
| AR | $216.09 | 1 |
| AZ | $236.41 | 1 |
| CA | $255.88–$318.73 | 29 |
| CO | $252.13 | 1 |
| CT | $257.97 | 1 |
| DC | $276.11 | 1 |
| DE | $240.17 | 1 |
| FL | $239.06–$260.37 | 3 |
| GA | $226.41–$246.78 | 2 |
| GU | $261.59 | 1 |
| HI | $261.59 | 1 |
| IA | $224.29 | 1 |
| ID | $225.66 | 1 |
| IL | $232.53–$253.33 | 4 |
| IN | $226.89 | 1 |
| KS | $223.29 | 1 |
| KY | $223.88 | 1 |
| LA | $223.55–$233.93 | 2 |
| MA | $250.75–$276.11 | 2 |
| MD | $244.56–$276.11 | 3 |
| ME | $226.75–$238.32 | 2 |
| MI | $229.34–$241.86 | 2 |
| MN | $242.02 | 1 |
| MO | $219.94–$234.73 | 3 |
| MS | $218.06 | 1 |
| MT | $242.48 | 1 |
| NC | $228.98 | 1 |
| ND | $238.13 | 1 |
| NE | $225.45 | 1 |
| NH | $248.21 | 1 |
| NJ | $261.03–$273.52 | 2 |
| NM | $230.52 | 1 |
| NV | $241.43 | 1 |
| NY | $232.21–$284.09 | 5 |
| OH | $228.46 | 1 |
| OK | $223.52 | 1 |
| OR | $239.66–$259.76 | 2 |
| PA | $228.80–$251.87 | 2 |
| PR | $244.16 | 1 |
| RI | $248.43 | 1 |
| SC | $229.08 | 1 |
| SD | $237.61 | 1 |
| TN | $224.35 | 1 |
| TX | $227.39–$251.19 | 8 |
| UT | $232.02 | 1 |
| VA | $237.58–$276.11 | 2 |
| VI | $244.16 | 1 |
| VT | $237.24 | 1 |
| WA | $250.27–$281.58 | 2 |
| WI | $230.60 | 1 |
| WV | $224.44 | 1 |
| WY | $240.58 | 1 |
How the 62304 rate is calculated
Each of 62304’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 · 62304
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 2.19Practice expense 4.85Malpractice 0.22
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 62304
The CMS indicators that decide how 62304 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 62304
Myelography injection
| 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) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| 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 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
62304 without 51 · national office
$242.49
Myelography injection
62304-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$121.25
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
62304 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
62304 vs 62302 vs 62303 vs 62305 vs 62328: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 62302Myelography
- Use 62302 when the myelographic contrast injection is at the cervical region; 62304 is for the lumbar region.
- 62303Myelography
- Use 62303 for a thoracic-region myelographic injection. The injection site, not the suspected diagnosis, distinguishes it from 62304.
- 62305Myelography
- 62305 represents myelographic injection involving combined spinal regions; 62304 is the lumbar-region code.
- 62328Lumbar puncture
- 62328 is for diagnostic lumbar spinal puncture with imaging guidance. Choose 62304 when lumbar intrathecal contrast is injected for myelography or CT.
62304 billing questions
How is 62304 distinguished from the other myelography injection codes?
Select 62304 for injection at the lumbar region. The cervical, thoracic, and combined-region codes reflect different injection sites or extent.
Is 62304 the same as a diagnostic lumbar puncture?
No. 62304 is for lumbar contrast injection for myelography or CT; 62328 describes a diagnostic lumbar spinal puncture with imaging guidance.
What documentation supports 62304?
Document the lumbar puncture site, intrathecal contrast administration, and the myelographic or CT examination being performed.
Should modifier 50 be appended for bilateral lumbar findings?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to 62304, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this descriptor.
How does the multiple-procedure reduction affect 62304?
For procedures performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported for this procedure?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is statutorily restricted. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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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