CPT 70260: Skull X-rayMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $43.76 for 70260 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $38.63–$59.50.

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

What 70260 covers

This service is a multi-view radiographic examination of the skull, with at least four views obtained. A radiologic technologist typically acquires the images in an imaging department, hospital, or office-based radiology setting; a qualified physician interprets them and provides a report. Skull films may be ordered when the clinical question concerns the cranial bones, such as suspected skull fracture or a bone abnormality. The examination is distinct from imaging directed at the orbits, sinuses, or sella.

Select 70260 when the documented examination includes at least four skull views; a limited examination with one to three views is reported with 70250. The order, image record, and interpretation should support the skull as the imaged anatomy and the views performed. CMS recognizes separately priced professional and technical components: report modifier 26 for the interpretation, TC for the equipment and staff, or neither modifier when billing the global service. The physician’s interpretation and the image-acquisition service may be billed by different entities.

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 70260 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

70260 rates by state

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

How the 70260 rate is calculated

Each of 70260’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 70260

The CMS indicators that decide how 70260 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

70260 compared with similar codes

How to choose

70250Skull X-ray

Both codes examine the skull radiographically; choose 70260 for at least four views and 70250 for one to three.

70200Orbit X-ray

70200 is directed at the orbits. Use 70260 when the examination is of the skull rather than the eye sockets.

70450Head CT

70450 is a head CT without contrast, not a skull radiograph. The selected modality and documented examination determine which code applies.

Codes related to 70260

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