Billing code 73115: Contrast wrist studyMedicare rate & RVUs in Alabama
Reports contrast-enhanced radiographic imaging of the wrist joint, typically used to assess internal joint structures after contrast is introduced.
Medicare pays $118.31 for 73115 in the office in Alabama (Alabama). Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 73115 covers
This service covers radiographic imaging of the wrist joint after contrast has been introduced into the joint, with radiologic supervision and interpretation. It is used when a clinician needs to evaluate wrist joint structures, such as in an arthrographic workup of suspected internal derangement. A radiologist typically interprets the study; the technical work involves the imaging equipment and staff in an outpatient imaging department or hospital radiology department.
Select this code for the radiographic arthrography study, rather than a routine wrist radiograph. The record should support the wrist studied, contrast arthrography, and the interpreting physician’s findings. CMS recognizes professional and technical components: report modifier 26 for interpretation, modifier TC for equipment and staff, or no component modifier for the global service. For bilateral studies, CMS pays each side separately at 100%; documentation should identify both wrists.
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.
73115 in Alabama
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $118.31 | Unavailable |
How the 73115 rate is calculated
Each of 73115’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.
How the rate is built · 73115
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.53Practice expense 3.41Malpractice 0.05
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 73115
The CMS indicators that decide how 73115 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 73115
Contrast wrist study
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 3 | Each side paid at 100% (no 150% cap). |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 1 | Diagnostic test with separate professional (26) and technical (TC) components. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 26 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
73115 without 26 · national office
$133.27
Contrast wrist study
73115-26 · Professional component
$27.05
Pays only the interpretation and report.
73115 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
73115 vs 73100 vs 73110 vs 25246: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 73100Wrist X-ray
- 73100 reports routine wrist radiographs rather than contrast arthrography. Choose it when standard wrist views, not a contrast joint study, are obtained.
- 73110Wrist X-ray
- 73110 is for routine wrist radiographs. 73115 applies when the wrist is imaged as a contrast arthrography study.
- 25246Wrist injection
- 25246 describes the wrist joint injection for arthrography; 73115 describes the radiographic imaging and interpretation.
73115 billing questions
When should this be used instead of a routine wrist X-ray?
Use 73115 for contrast-enhanced arthrographic imaging of the wrist joint. Routine wrist views without arthrography are reported with an appropriate plain-radiograph code, such as 73100 or 73110.
Can the wrist joint injection be billed separately?
Code 73115 reports the radiographic arthrography imaging and interpretation. When a separate wrist arthrography injection is performed and reportable, code 25246 describes that injection service.
How are the professional and technical services reported?
Use modifier 26 for the professional interpretation and modifier TC for the technical service. Without either component modifier, the claim represents the global service.
How should bilateral wrist arthrography be reported?
Identify each wrist separately in the documentation and report each side. CMS pays each side separately at 100% when the study is bilateral.
What documentation supports 73115?
Document the wrist examined, that the study used contrast arthrography, and the radiologist’s interpretation. For bilateral imaging, specify both sides.
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
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