$19.13–$29.04
73020 covers a single view only; 73030 requires two or more views. Count the projections documented in the report to choose.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
73030 Shoulder X-ray Medicare reimbursement rates
Complete plain-film radiographic exam of the shoulder with at least two views, reported for shoulder pain, trauma, suspected dislocation, arthritis, or postoperative follow-up. Compare 73030 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 73030?
The service location and office or facility setting determine which base rate applies. These are the supported base rates for the 109 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$31.32–$48.93
109 of 109 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Arkansas
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $17.61 per service.
Facility setting
No supported rate
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Where 73030 pays more and less
109 payment localities
$31.32 to $48.93
Radiology
About 73030: Complete shoulder radiographs, two or more views
Complete plain-film radiographic exam of the shoulder with at least two views, reported for shoulder pain, trauma, suspected dislocation, arthritis, or postoperative follow-up.
This study images the glenohumeral joint, proximal humerus, and surrounding structures using two or more projections. Typical series include AP views in internal and external rotation, an axillary view, a scapular Y view, or a Grashey true AP view. A radiologic technologist acquires the images, and a radiologist, orthopedic surgeon, or other treating physician interprets them. It is performed in orthopedic and primary care offices, urgent care centers, emergency departments, and hospital outpatient imaging departments. Common indications include fall injuries, suspected fracture or dislocation, rotator cuff arthropathy, calcific tendinitis, and post-reduction or post-arthroplasty checks.
Select this code when at least two views are obtained; a single shoulder view goes to 73020. The report should state the views taken, findings, and an impression. Modifier 26 identifies the professional interpretation, and modifier TC identifies the equipment and staff portion. Billing without either modifier claims the global service when the billing entity furnishes both components. When both shoulders are imaged, CMS pays each side separately at 100%; report the right and left studies on separate lines with RT and LT.
CMS billing rules for 73030
- Professional and technical components
- Diagnostic test with a professional component (modifier 26, interpretation) and a technical component (modifier TC, equipment and staff); billing without a modifier is the global service.
- Bilateral procedures
- Each side is paid separately at 100% when performed bilaterally.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.18 · 17%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.87 · 81%
- Malpractice RVU0.02 · 2%
2.8M
Medicare services in 2024 · #62 by national volume
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.
73030 compared with similar codes
Office rate ranges across all CMS payment localities, from the same CMS release.
$26.73–$41.23
73050 is a bilateral AC joint study, often with weighted distraction, for AC separation; 73030 is a standard glenohumeral shoulder series reported per side.
$29.22–$45.78
73000 targets the clavicle; 73030 targets the shoulder joint and proximal humerus. Code by the body part ordered and imaged.
$117.66–$187.01
73040 is radiological supervision and interpretation of shoulder arthrography with contrast injection; 73030 is plain radiography without contrast.
See how rates vary across the country
73030 · Office / nonfacility · Non-QP. Choose a state to explore its payment localities. A range means the amount varies within that state.
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.
$31.32
$43.63
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
View all state and territory rates as a table
| State / territory | Rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $40.33 | 1 |
| AL | $31.82 | 1 |
| AR | $31.32 | 1 |
| AZ | $34.74 | 1 |
| CA | $38.32–$48.93 | 29 |
| CO | $37.52 | 1 |
| CT | $38.24 | 1 |
| DC | $41.31 | 1 |
| DE | $35.35 | 1 |
| FL | $34.80–$37.95 | 3 |
| GA | $32.73–$36.36 | 2 |
| GU | $39.44 | 1 |
| HI | $39.44 | 1 |
| IA | $32.87 | 1 |
| ID | $33.06 | 1 |
| IL | $33.59–$37.08 | 4 |
| IN | $33.27 | 1 |
| KS | $32.62 | 1 |
| KY | $32.46 | 1 |
| LA | $32.37–$34.12 | 2 |
| MA | $37.24–$41.55 | 2 |
| MD | $36.09–$41.31 | 3 |
| ME | $33.16–$35.23 | 2 |
| MI | $33.30–$35.18 | 2 |
| MN | $36.11 | 1 |
| MO | $31.71–$34.35 | 3 |
| MS | $31.53 | 1 |
| MT | $35.74 | 1 |
| NC | $33.55 | 1 |
| ND | $35.34 | 1 |
| NE | $33.09 | 1 |
| NH | $36.85 | 1 |
| NJ | $38.72–$40.81 | 2 |
| NM | $33.46 | 1 |
| NV | $35.66 | 1 |
| NY | $34.09–$42.19 | 5 |
| OH | $33.22 | 1 |
| OK | $32.48 | 1 |
| OR | $35.42–$38.89 | 2 |
| PA | $33.32–$37.17 | 2 |
| PR | $36.05 | 1 |
| RI | $36.74 | 1 |
| SC | $33.43 | 1 |
| SD | $35.30 | 1 |
| TN | $32.79 | 1 |
| TX | $33.08–$37.36 | 8 |
| UT | $33.93 | 1 |
| VA | $35.05–$41.31 | 2 |
| VI | $36.05 | 1 |
| VT | $35.12 | 1 |
| WA | $37.20–$42.51 | 2 |
| WI | $34.06 | 1 |
| WV | $32.22 | 1 |
| WY | $35.57 | 1 |
Compare 73030 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
109 of 109 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Office $31.82 | Facility Unavailable |
| Alaska* | Office $40.33 | Facility Unavailable |
| Arizona | Office $34.74 | Facility Unavailable |
| Arkansas | Office $31.32 | Facility Unavailable |
| Atlanta | Office $36.36 | Facility Unavailable |
| Austin | Office $37.36 | Facility Unavailable |
| Bakersfield | Office $38.38 | Facility Unavailable |
| Baltimore/Surr. Cntys | Office $38.11 | Facility Unavailable |
| Beaumont | Office $33.08 | Facility Unavailable |
| Brazoria | Office $35.38 | Facility Unavailable |
| Chicago | Office $36.79 | Facility Unavailable |
| Chico | Office $38.32 | Facility Unavailable |
| Colorado | Office $37.52 | Facility Unavailable |
| Connecticut | Office $38.24 | Facility Unavailable |
| Dallas | Office $35.58 | Facility Unavailable |
| Dc + Md/Va Suburbs | Office $41.31 | Facility Unavailable |
| Delaware | Office $35.35 | Facility Unavailable |
| Detroit | Office $35.18 | Facility Unavailable |
| East St. Louis | Office $34.09 | Facility Unavailable |
| El Centro | Office $38.32 | Facility Unavailable |
| Fort Lauderdale | Office $36.66 | Facility Unavailable |
| Fort Worth | Office $35.30 | Facility Unavailable |
| Fresno | Office $38.32 | Facility Unavailable |
| Galveston | Office $35.47 | Facility Unavailable |
| Hanford-Corcoran | Office $38.32 | Facility Unavailable |
| Hawaii, Guam | Office $39.44 | Facility Unavailable |
| Houston | Office $35.83 | Facility Unavailable |
| Idaho | Office $33.06 | Facility Unavailable |
| Indiana | Office $33.27 | Facility Unavailable |
| Iowa | Office $32.87 | Facility Unavailable |
| Kansas | Office $32.62 | Facility Unavailable |
| Kentucky | Office $32.46 | Facility Unavailable |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty) | Office $41.08 | Facility Unavailable |
| Madera | Office $38.32 | Facility Unavailable |
| Manhattan | Office $41.22 | Facility Unavailable |
| Merced | Office $38.32 | Facility Unavailable |
| Metropolitan Boston | Office $41.55 | Facility Unavailable |
| Metropolitan Kansas City | Office $33.95 | Facility Unavailable |
| Metropolitan Philadelphia | Office $37.17 | Facility Unavailable |
| Metropolitan St. Louis | Office $34.35 | Facility Unavailable |
| Miami | Office $37.95 | Facility Unavailable |
| Minnesota | Office $36.11 | Facility Unavailable |
| Mississippi | Office $31.53 | Facility Unavailable |
| Modesto | Office $38.32 | Facility Unavailable |
| Montana** | Office $35.74 | Facility Unavailable |
| Napa | Office $45.03 | Facility Unavailable |
| Nebraska | Office $33.09 | Facility Unavailable |
| Nevada** | Office $35.66 | Facility Unavailable |
| New Hampshire | Office $36.85 | Facility Unavailable |
| New Mexico | Office $33.46 | Facility Unavailable |
| New Orleans | Office $34.12 | Facility Unavailable |
| North Carolina | Office $33.55 | Facility Unavailable |
| North Dakota** | Office $35.34 | Facility Unavailable |
| Northern Nj | Office $40.81 | Facility Unavailable |
| Nyc Suburbs/Long Island | Office $42.19 | Facility Unavailable |
| Ohio | Office $33.22 | Facility Unavailable |
| Oklahoma | Office $32.48 | Facility Unavailable |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | Office $40.94 | Facility Unavailable |
| Portland | Office $38.89 | Facility Unavailable |
| Poughkpsie/N Nyc Suburbs | Office $38.91 | Facility Unavailable |
| Puerto Rico | Office $36.05 | Facility Unavailable |
| Queens | Office $41.71 | Facility Unavailable |
| Redding | Office $38.32 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of California | Office $38.32 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of Florida | Office $34.80 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of Georgia | Office $32.73 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of Illinois | Office $33.59 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of Louisiana | Office $32.37 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of Maine | Office $33.16 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of Maryland | Office $36.09 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of Massachusetts | Office $37.24 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of Michigan | Office $33.30 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of Missouri | Office $31.71 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of New Jersey | Office $38.72 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of New York | Office $34.09 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of Oregon | Office $35.42 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of Pennsylvania | Office $33.32 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of Texas | Office $34.19 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of Washington | Office $37.20 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rhode Island | Office $36.74 | Facility Unavailable |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | Office $38.54 | Facility Unavailable |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Office $40.38 | Facility Unavailable |
| Salinas | Office $40.24 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | Office $41.31 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty) | Office $47.86 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty) | Office $47.84 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty) | Office $48.93 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty) | Office $48.84 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Office $39.57 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | Office $41.80 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Office $40.42 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | Office $42.23 | Facility Unavailable |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | Office $42.51 | Facility Unavailable |
| South Carolina | Office $33.43 | Facility Unavailable |
| South Dakota** | Office $35.30 | Facility Unavailable |
| Southern Maine | Office $35.23 | Facility Unavailable |
| Stockton | Office $38.32 | Facility Unavailable |
| Suburban Chicago | Office $37.08 | Facility Unavailable |
| Tennessee | Office $32.79 | Facility Unavailable |
| Utah | Office $33.93 | Facility Unavailable |
| Vallejo | Office $45.00 | Facility Unavailable |
| Vermont | Office $35.12 | Facility Unavailable |
| Virgin Islands | Office $36.05 | Facility Unavailable |
| Virginia | Office $35.05 | Facility Unavailable |
| Visalia | Office $38.32 | Facility Unavailable |
| West Virginia | Office $32.22 | Facility Unavailable |
| Wisconsin | Office $34.06 | Facility Unavailable |
| Wyoming** | Office $35.57 | Facility Unavailable |
| Yuba City | Office $38.32 | Facility Unavailable |
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73030 billing questions
How many views are required to report 73030 instead of 73020?
73030 requires at least two views of the shoulder. If only one projection is obtained, report 73020. Additional views beyond two do not increase the code or units.
How is a bilateral shoulder series reported?
CMS pays each shoulder separately at 100% when both are imaged. Report the right and left studies on separate lines with RT and LT.
When should modifier 26 or TC be used?
Use 26 when the physician provides only the interpretation, such as for images acquired by a hospital outpatient department. Use TC when the billing entity supplies the equipment and technologist but another entity interprets the study. Bill globally when the same entity furnishes both components.
Can 73030 be billed for acromioclavicular joint films?
Dedicated bilateral AC joint films, with or without weighted distraction, are reported with 73050 rather than 73030. If a routine shoulder series is also ordered and performed, document the separate studies and medical necessity for each.
Can the ordering orthopedist bill a shoulder X-ray with an office visit on the same day?
A separately medically necessary office visit may be reported with the shoulder study. The practice bills globally only if it furnishes both imaging and interpretation; routine review of the result during the visit is not a separately billable interpretation.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
8,10573020,,X-ray exam of shoulder,A,,0.15,0.48,,0.48,NA,0.02,0.65,0.65,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,2.66,2.66,0.07
8,10673020,26,X-ray exam of shoulder,A,,0.15,0.06,,0.06,,0.01,0.22,0.22,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
8,10773020,TC,X-ray exam of shoulder,A,,0.00,0.42,,0.42,NA,0.01,0.43,0.43,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,2.60,2.60,0.06
8,10873030,,X-ray exam of shoulder,A,,0.18,0.87,,0.87,NA,0.02,1.07,1.07,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,2.71,2.71,0.04
8,10973030,26,X-ray exam of shoulder,A,,0.18,0.08,,0.08,,0.01,0.27,0.27,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
8,11073030,TC,X-ray exam of shoulder,A,,0.00,0.79,,0.79,NA,0.01,0.80,0.80,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,2.63,2.63,0.03
8,11173040,,Contrast x-ray of shoulder,A,,0.53,3.46,,3.46,NA,0.04,4.03,4.03,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,10.88,10.88,0.06