Billing code 70010: Brain radiographyMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $49.43 for 70010 nationally in a facility.

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

What 70010 covers

This service covers conventional radiographic imaging of the brain and skull after contrast is introduced to make intracranial structures visible on X-rays. A classic example is ventriculography, in which contrast outlines the brain’s ventricular system. The study is performed in a radiology setting; a radiologist interprets the images, and an appropriately trained clinician may perform the access or contrast introduction for an invasive study.

Select 70010 for the contrast brain/skull examination actually performed, not simply because contrast was used in another imaging modality. The distinction from 70015 is the documented use of stereoscopic technique. The report should identify the radiographic study and contrast technique; for a ventriculogram, documentation should also support that study. CMS assigns work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs to the service, with practice-expense values represented for office and facility settings.

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 70010 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

70010 rates by state

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

How the 70010 rate is calculated

Each of 70010’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 70010

70010 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.

70010 compared with similar codes

How to choose

70015Cisternography

Both cover contrast radiography of the brain and skull; 70015 is distinguished by stereoscopic technique, which should be documented.

70551Brain MRI

70551 is brain MRI without contrast. Use it for MRI, not conventional contrast X-ray imaging.

70553Brain MRI

70553 is brain MRI performed without and with contrast. It is an MRI service, not contrast radiography.

Codes related to 70010

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