$204.38
78800 reports the limited-area planar localization study. Use 78835 as an add-on only when a defined area from an eligible primary study is quantitatively measured.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
78835 Radiopharmaceutical quantification Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
This add-on measurement quantifies radiopharmaceutical activity in one organ, lesion, or region during a related nuclear medicine localization study. Compare 78835 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alabama.
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 78835 in Alabama?
Alabama has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$80.23
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
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.
Nuclear medicine
About 78835: Radiopharmaceutical quantification, single area
This add-on measurement quantifies radiopharmaceutical activity in one organ, lesion, or region during a related nuclear medicine localization study.
Code 78835 captures quantitative measurement of radiopharmaceutical activity in one defined area, such as an organ, lesion, or region. It is reported with an eligible radiopharmaceutical localization study when the interpreting nuclear medicine physician quantifies activity beyond describing its location or appearance. The service may involve image processing and measurement from the study’s acquired data; the imaging team typically includes a nuclear medicine technologist and a physician who interprets the results.
Report one unit for each separately quantified area, and pair the add-on with the applicable primary localization procedure. The record should identify the area measured and include the quantitative findings and interpretation. This code is not reported by itself; CMS pays it within the primary procedure’s global period. The diagnostic service has professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies the physician’s interpretation, modifier TC identifies the equipment and staff, and no component modifier represents the global service.
CMS billing rules for 78835
- Global period
- Add-on code: billed only together with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure's global period.
- 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.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.46 · 17%
- Practice expense (office) RVU2.20 · 82%
- Malpractice RVU0.03 · 1%
4.7K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1920 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.
78835 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
$297.11
78803 reports SPECT tumor localization, while 78835 reports quantitative measurement of activity in an area alongside an eligible localization study.
$373.06
78830 reports SPECT/CT tumor localization in one area. It describes the primary imaging service, not the additional quantification captured by 78835.
Compare 78835 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.
1 of 1 payment localities
Alabama →
Office / nonfacility
$80.23
Facility
Unavailable
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 78835 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
9,555
- Code
- 78835
- Physician work
- 0.46
- Practice expense
- 2.20
- Malpractice
- 0.03
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.46 | × 1.000 | 0.4600 |
| Practice expense | 2.20 | × 0.875 | 1.9250 |
| Malpractice | 0.03 | × 0.566 | 0.0170 |
| Total RVUs | 2.4020 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Alabama$80.23
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.46 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 2.2 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 0.03 | 0.566 |
(0.46 × 1 + 2.2 × 0.875 + 0.03 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $80.23
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
78835 billing questions
When is 78835 reported with a localization study?
Report it when a related radiopharmaceutical localization study includes quantitative measurement of activity in a specific area. It supplements the primary imaging service rather than replacing it.
How many units should be reported?
Report one unit for each single area quantified. The documentation should identify each measured organ, lesion, or region.
Can 78835 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be billed with an eligible primary radiopharmaceutical localization procedure.
Which modifiers identify the components?
Use modifier 26 for the professional interpretation and modifier TC for the technical service. Without either modifier, the claim represents the global service.
What documentation supports this code?
Document the primary localization study, the area or areas quantified, the measurement results, and the physician’s 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.
9,55278832,,Rp loclzj tum spect w/ct 2,A,,2.07,21.43,,21.43,NA,0.18,23.68,23.68,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,44.20,44.20,0.28
9,55378832,26,Rp loclzj tum spect w/ct 2,A,,2.07,0.65,,0.65,,0.09,2.81,2.81,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,55478832,TC,Rp loclzj tum spect w/ct 2,A,,0.00,20.78,,20.78,NA,0.09,20.87,20.87,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,43.55,43.55,0.19
9,55578835,,Rp quan meas single area,A,,0.46,2.20,,2.20,NA,0.03,2.69,2.69,1,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,55678835,26,Rp quan meas single area,A,,0.46,0.16,,0.16,,0.02,0.64,0.64,1,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,55778835,TC,Rp quan meas single area,A,,0.00,2.04,,2.04,NA,0.01,2.05,2.05,1,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,55878999,,Unlisted misc px dx nuc med,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,NA,0.00,0.00,0.00,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1ADDENDUM E. FINAL CY 2026 GEOGRAPHIC PRACTICE COST INDICES (GPCIs) BY STATE AND MEDICARE LOCALITY,,,,,,
2,,,,,,
3Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC),State,Locality Number,Locality Name,2026 PW GPCI (with 1.0 Floor)***,2026 PE GPCI,2026 MP GPCI
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515