Billing code 70548: Neck MRAMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $245.50 for 70548 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $216.49–$334.49.

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

What 70548 covers

This service is an MRI-based angiographic study of the arteries in the neck performed after contrast administration. It is commonly used to evaluate carotid and vertebral artery disease, including suspected stenosis, dissection, or aneurysm. A radiology technologist performs the acquisition, and a radiologist interprets the images and prepares the report. It may be performed in a hospital imaging department or an outpatient imaging center.

Choose this code when the documented study is MR angiography of the neck performed with contrast, rather than a soft-tissue neck MRI or a neck MRA performed without contrast. The order, imaging record, and interpretation should support the neck arterial anatomy examined and contrast use. Medicare recognizes professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies the interpretation, modifier TC identifies the equipment and staff, and no component modifier represents the global service. The diagnostic imaging multiple procedure reduction applies to both the technical and professional components when applicable.

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 70548 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

70548 rates by state

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

How the 70548 rate is calculated

Each of 70548’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 70548

The CMS indicators that decide how 70548 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

70548 compared with similar codes

How to choose

70547Neck MRA

Use 70547 for neck MR angiography without contrast; 70548 represents the contrast-enhanced study.

70549Neck MRA

Use 70549 when the neck MRA includes both noncontrast and contrast imaging. 70548 represents the contrast-enhanced study.

70545Head MR angiography

70545 is MR angiography of the head with contrast. Choose 70548 for the neck arterial territory.

70542MRI with contrast

70542 is an MRI of the orbit, face, or neck with contrast, not an angiographic study of neck arteries.

Codes related to 70548

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