Billing code 79005: Radiopharmaceutical therapyMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $132.27 for 79005 nationally in the office. Local office rates run $120.87–$168.49.

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

What 79005 covers

This service covers therapeutic administration of a radioactive pharmaceutical by mouth. A familiar example is oral radioactive iodine treatment for hyperthyroidism or thyroid cancer. It is typically performed in a nuclear medicine department by a nuclear medicine physician or other qualified clinician, with staff and facilities prepared to handle the therapeutic dose. The route is the key distinction: the radioactive agent is swallowed rather than administered intravenously or into a body cavity.

Select this code when the documented treatment is delivered orally, not simply because a radioactive agent was ordered or dispensed. The record should support the treatment indication, agent and dose, oral route, date of administration, and responsible provider. CMS identifies separately priced professional and technical components: modifier 26 represents the professional interpretation, while modifier TC represents equipment and staff; billing without either modifier represents the global service. Use the component that matches the service furnished and billed.

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 79005 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

79005 rates by state

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

How the 79005 rate is calculated

Each of 79005’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 79005

The CMS indicators that decide how 79005 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

79005 compared with similar codes

How to choose

79101Radiopharmaceutical therapy

Choose 79005 when the therapeutic agent is given by mouth; choose 79101 when it is administered intravenously.

79200Radiopharmaceutical therapy

79005 describes oral administration, while 79200 is for delivery of radiopharmaceutical therapy into a body cavity.

79440Joint radiotherapy

Use 79005 for an oral dose and 79440 for radiopharmaceutical therapy administered into a joint.

Codes related to 79005

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