Billing code 76010: Foreign body X-rayMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $28.72 for 76010 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $25.29–$38.82.

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

What 76010 covers

This radiographic survey looks for a suspected radiopaque foreign body across the nose-to-rectum span when its location is unknown or may have shifted. A common presentation is a child who may have swallowed a coin; the ordering clinician may request broad coverage rather than a single chest or abdominal study. Radiology technologists acquire the images in hospital or outpatient imaging settings, and a radiologist or other qualified interpreting clinician provides the diagnostic reading.

Report 76010 for the complete foreign-body survey, supported by the indication and documentation that imaging covered the stated nose-to-rectum extent. Do not substitute a localized chest, neck, or abdominal radiograph when the requested service is the full survey, or relabel survey images as separate regional studies. CMS allows the professional interpretation to be billed with modifier 26 and the equipment-and-staff portion with modifier TC; an unmodified claim represents the global service. Select the component that matches the work furnished and the billing entity.

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 76010 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

76010 rates by state

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

How the 76010 rate is calculated

Each of 76010’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 76010

The CMS indicators that decide how 76010 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

76010 compared with similar codes

How to choose

70360Neck X-ray

Use 70360 for a neck-limited soft-tissue examination. Use 76010 when the foreign-body survey is intended to cover the nose-to-rectum span.

71046Chest X-ray

71046 describes a two-view chest study, not a nose-to-rectum foreign-body survey. Choose it when the diagnostic examination is limited to the chest.

74018Abdomen X-ray

74018 describes a single-view abdominal examination. Choose 76010 when the requested foreign-body imaging extends beyond the abdomen.

Codes related to 76010

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