$254.54
73721 targets a joint such as the knee, ankle, or hip; 73718 covers non-joint lower extremity anatomy such as thigh or calf soft tissue and bone shafts.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
73721 Lower extremity joint MRI Medicare reimbursement rates in Alaska
Noncontrast MRI of a knee, ankle, hip, or other lower extremity joint is reported to evaluate joint injury or disease. Compare 73721 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alaska.
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 73721 in Alaska?
Alaska 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
$235.33
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alaska*
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.
Radiology
About 73721: MRI of a lower extremity joint without contrast
Noncontrast MRI of a knee, ankle, hip, or other lower extremity joint is reported to evaluate joint injury or disease.
This study images a lower extremity joint, often the knee, ankle, or hip, without intravenous or intra-articular contrast. Orthopedists, sports medicine physicians, and podiatrists commonly order it to evaluate meniscal tears, ACL and collateral ligament injuries, cartilage defects, tendon tears, labral pathology, osteochondral lesions, stress fractures, and avascular necrosis. Studies are performed in hospital outpatient departments and freestanding imaging centers, with a radiologist interpreting the images.
Report the joint studied and its side. For corresponding joints imaged bilaterally, identify both sides using modifier 50 or separate RT and LT lines according to the billing format; Medicare pays each side separately at 100%. Modifier TC identifies the equipment, staff, and other technical work, while modifier 26 identifies the interpretation and signed report. Billing without either modifier represents the global service. When multiple diagnostic imaging studies are performed in the same session, the diagnostic imaging multiple procedure reduction applies to the technical and professional components. Documentation should identify the joint, side, indication, sequences, and absence of contrast.
CMS billing rules for 73721
- 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.
- Multiple procedures
- Diagnostic imaging multiple procedure reduction applies to the technical and professional components.
- Bilateral procedures
- Each side is paid separately at 100% when performed bilaterally.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU1.32 · 22%
- Practice expense (office) RVU4.71 · 77%
- Malpractice RVU0.09 · 1%
732.7K
Medicare services in 2024 · #176 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.
73721 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alaska, from the same CMS release.
$434.17
73721 involves no contrast. Use 73723 when the joint is imaged before and after contrast administration.
$356.51
Report 73722 when the joint MRI uses contrast, including direct MR arthrography; report 73721 when the joint is imaged without contrast.
$151.77
73700 is a CT scan of the lower extremity without contrast, not an MRI; select the code for the modality performed.
Compare 73721 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
Alaska* →
Office / nonfacility
$235.33
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 73721 in Alaska*.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
8,276
- Code
- 73721
- Physician work
- 1.32
- Practice expense
- 4.71
- Malpractice
- 0.09
GPCI2026.csv
5
- Locality
- Alaska*
- Physician work
- 1.500
- Practice expense
- 1.065
- Malpractice
- 0.551
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 1.32 | × 1.500 | 1.9800 |
| Practice expense | 4.71 | × 1.065 | 5.0161 |
| Malpractice | 0.09 | × 0.551 | 0.0496 |
| Total RVUs | 7.0457 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Alaska*$235.33
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.32 | 1.5 |
| Practice expense | 4.71 | 1.065 |
| Malpractice | 0.09 | 0.551 |
(1.32 × 1.5 + 4.71 × 1.065 + 0.09 × 0.551) × $33.4009 = $235.33
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.
73721 billing questions
When is 73721 chosen instead of 73718?
Use 73721 when the study targets a joint, such as the knee, ankle, or hip. Use 73718 when it targets a non-joint lower extremity region, such as a thigh or calf soft tissue mass or a long bone shaft.
How are bilateral knee MRIs reported?
Identify the right and left knee using modifier 50 or separate RT and LT lines according to the billing format. Medicare pays each side separately at 100%.
Can 73721 be reported for an MR arthrogram?
No. When contrast is injected into the joint, report the joint MRI with contrast using 73722; report the appropriate joint injection service separately when it is performed and documented.
Which modifier does a reading radiologist use?
A radiologist who only interprets the study reports modifier 26. The entity furnishing the technical study reports modifier TC, and an entity furnishing both components bills without either modifier.
What happens when a knee and an ankle MRI are done the same day?
Report each joint studied with its side. If the studies are performed in the same session, the diagnostic imaging multiple procedure reduction applies to their technical and professional components.
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.
8,27373720,,Mri lwr extremity w/o&w/dye,A,,2.10,7.78,,7.78,NA,0.15,10.03,10.03,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,11.38,11.38,0.17
8,27473720,26,Mri lwr extremity w/o&w/dye,A,,2.10,0.75,,0.75,,0.12,2.97,2.97,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,0.00,0.00,0.00
8,27573720,TC,Mri lwr extremity w/o&w/dye,A,,0.00,7.03,,7.03,NA,0.03,7.06,7.06,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,02,0,88,10.63,10.63,0.05
8,27673721,,Mri jnt of lwr extre w/o dye,A,,1.32,4.71,,4.71,NA,0.09,6.12,6.12,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,7.75,7.75,0.10
8,27773721,26,Mri jnt of lwr extre w/o dye,A,,1.32,0.49,,0.49,,0.07,1.88,1.88,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,0.00,0.00,0.00
8,27873721,TC,Mri jnt of lwr extre w/o dye,A,,0.00,4.22,,4.22,NA,0.02,4.24,4.24,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,88,7.26,7.26,0.03
8,27973722,,Mri joint of lwr extr w/dye,A,,1.58,7.74,,7.74,NA,0.11,9.43,9.43,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,24.47,24.47,0.18
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
801112,CA,54,BAKERSFIELD,1.019,1.096,0.609