Billing code 77280: Radiation simulationMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports simple radiation treatment simulation to reproduce patient positioning and establish treatment-field geometry before external-beam therapy.
Medicare pays $296.26 for 77280 in the office in Alaska (Alaska*). 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 77280 covers
The radiation oncology team uses a simulator or treatment imaging system to reproduce the patient’s treatment position and establish basic beam geometry for a simple field setup. The radiation oncologist directs and interprets the simulation; radiation therapists commonly assist with positioning and image acquisition in a radiation oncology department. The service supports accurate setup before treatment begins or when a new setup is needed.
Select 77280 when the documented field-setting work meets the simple level; use 77285 or 77290 when the simulation complexity supports those levels. Documentation should identify the treatment site, patient position, field geometry, simulation images, and physician involvement. CMS recognizes modifier 26 for the professional component and modifier TC for the technical component; reporting without either modifier represents the global service.
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.
77280 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | $296.26 | Unavailable |
How the 77280 rate is calculated
Each of 77280’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 · 77280
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.68Practice expense 7.35Malpractice 0.04
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 77280
The CMS indicators that decide how 77280 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 77280
Radiation simulation
| 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) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| 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
77280 without 26 · national office
$269.55
Radiation simulation
77280-26 · Professional component
$37.07
Pays only the interpretation and report.
77280 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
77280 vs 77285 vs 77290 vs 77261: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 77285Radiotherapy simulation
- 77285 represents intermediate simulation complexity. Choose it instead of 77280 when the documented field-setting work supports that level.
- 77290Radiation simulation
- 77290 represents complex simulation work, rather than the simple setup reported with 77280. The documentation should support the higher complexity.
- 77261Radiation planning
- 77261 describes simple radiation treatment planning, not simulator-based field setup. Report it for distinct planning work rather than as a substitute for 77280.
77280 billing questions
How does 77280 differ from 77285 or 77290?
The distinction is the complexity of the simulation and field-setting work. Report 77280 for a simple setup; use 77285 or 77290 when the documented work meets an intermediate or complex level.
Is 77280 the same service as radiation treatment planning?
No. This code represents simulation and field setup; codes 77261–77263 describe treatment-planning levels. A planning service is distinct from simply establishing the simulation setup.
When should modifier 26 or TC be reported?
Use modifier 26 for the professional component, including interpretation, or TC for the technical component, including equipment and staff. Without either modifier, the code represents the global service.
Does 77280 represent each image or each radiation fraction?
It reports the simple simulation service, not each treatment fraction. Document the simulation and field-setting work performed rather than treating routine treatment delivery as another simulation.
What documentation supports reporting 77280?
Record the treatment site, patient positioning, field geometry, simulation imaging, and the radiation oncologist’s direction or interpretation. The record should support a simple—not intermediate or complex—simulation level.
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
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
Fee sheets
Put 77280 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →