$138.51–$174.37
72131 is for lumbar CT without contrast only. Choose 72133 when the examination includes both noncontrast and contrast-enhanced imaging.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
72133 Lumbar CT Medicare reimbursement rates in California
Reports lumbar spine CT imaging acquired before and after contrast when both noncontrast and contrast-enhanced sequences are performed. Compare 72133 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in California.
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 72133 in California?
California has 29 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 29 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$210.66–$267.21
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $56.55 per service.
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.
Where 72133 pays more and less in California
29 payment localities
$210.66 to $267.21
Diagnostic imaging
About 72133: Lumbar CT Before and After Contrast
Reports lumbar spine CT imaging acquired before and after contrast when both noncontrast and contrast-enhanced sequences are performed.
This service covers CT imaging of the lumbar spine both before and after contrast administration, with a radiologist interpreting the study. It may be ordered to assess lumbar findings such as suspected infection, a mass, or postoperative change when the requested examination includes both imaging protocols. Services may be performed in a hospital or outpatient imaging center equipped for CT.
Report this code when the documented examination includes both noncontrast and contrast-enhanced lumbar CT imaging; a single phase calls for the corresponding without-contrast or with-contrast code instead. The report should support the lumbar anatomy imaged and both portions of the examination. CMS allows billing globally, or separately for the professional interpretation with modifier 26 and the technical service with modifier TC. The diagnostic imaging multiple-procedure reduction applies to both professional and technical components when applicable.
CMS billing rules for 72133
- 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.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU1.24 · 21%
- Practice expense (office) RVU4.56 · 77%
- Malpractice RVU0.09 · 2%
4K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1997 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.
72133 compared with similar codes
Office rates for California, from the same CMS release.
$180.04–$227.31
72132 represents lumbar CT with contrast only; 72133 represents imaging both before and after contrast.
$339.99–$429.43
72158 is the MRI counterpart for lumbar imaging without and with contrast. Choose between it and CT based on the modality performed.
Compare 72133 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.
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | Office $210.96 | Facility Unavailable |
| Chico | Office $210.66 | Facility Unavailable |
| El Centro | Office $210.68 | Facility Unavailable |
| Fresno | Office $210.66 | Facility Unavailable |
| Hanford-Corcoran | Office $210.66 | Facility Unavailable |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty) | Office $225.29 | Facility Unavailable |
| Madera | Office $210.66 | Facility Unavailable |
| Merced | Office $210.66 | Facility Unavailable |
| Modesto | Office $210.66 | Facility Unavailable |
| Napa | Office $246.30 | Facility Unavailable |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | Office $224.48 | Facility Unavailable |
| Redding | Office $210.66 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of California | Office $210.66 | Facility Unavailable |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | Office $211.66 | Facility Unavailable |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Office $221.65 | Facility Unavailable |
| Salinas | Office $220.84 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | Office $226.45 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty) | Office $261.49 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty) | Office $261.38 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty) | Office $267.21 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty) | Office $266.79 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Office $217.21 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | Office $228.95 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Office $221.78 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | Office $231.31 | Facility Unavailable |
| Stockton | Office $210.66 | Facility Unavailable |
| Vallejo | Office $246.15 | Facility Unavailable |
| Visalia | Office $210.66 | Facility Unavailable |
| Yuba City | Office $210.66 | Facility Unavailable |
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72133 billing questions
When should this code be selected instead of 72131 or 72132?
Use this code when the lumbar CT includes imaging both before and after contrast. Use 72131 for a noncontrast study and 72132 for a study performed with contrast only.
Can 72131 and 72132 also be reported for the same examination?
Do not report those codes in addition to this code simply to represent the two phases of one combined examination. This code represents the lumbar CT performed both before and after contrast.
How are the professional and technical services billed?
Report the global service without a component modifier, or use modifier 26 for the professional interpretation and modifier TC for the technical service. CMS identifies both components as separately priced.
What documentation supports reporting the combined study?
The imaging report should identify the lumbar spine examination and document that both noncontrast and contrast-enhanced imaging were performed.
Can the multiple-procedure reduction affect either component?
Yes. CMS applies the diagnostic imaging multiple-procedure reduction to both the professional and technical 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.
8,00672132,,Ct lumbar spine w/dye,A,,1.19,3.77,,3.77,NA,0.09,5.05,5.05,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,11.03,11.03,0.13
8,00772132,26,Ct lumbar spine w/dye,A,,1.19,0.42,,0.42,,0.07,1.68,1.68,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,0.00,0.00,0.00
8,00872132,TC,Ct lumbar spine w/dye,A,,0.00,3.35,,3.35,NA,0.02,3.37,3.37,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,02,0,88,10.61,10.61,0.06
8,00972133,,Ct lumbar spine w/o & w/dye,A,,1.24,4.56,,4.56,NA,0.09,5.89,5.89,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,5.78,5.78,0.10
8,01072133,26,Ct lumbar spine w/o & w/dye,A,,1.24,0.44,,0.44,,0.07,1.75,1.75,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,0.00,0.00,0.00
8,01172133,TC,Ct lumbar spine w/o & w/dye,A,,0.00,4.12,,4.12,NA,0.02,4.14,4.14,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,02,0,88,5.34,5.34,0.03
8,01272141,,Mri neck spine w/o dye,A,,1.44,4.17,,4.17,NA,0.10,5.71,5.71,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,7.78,7.78,0.12