$450.72–$563.14
77761 describes a simple intracavitary radiation application. Use 77790 for documented technical source-handling or physics work, not for the application itself.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
77790 Radiation handling Medicare reimbursement rates in California
Reports technical radiation-handling and physics work associated with therapeutic radioactive sources, such as source-related work during brachytherapy. Compare 77790 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 77790 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
$20.13–$26.37
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $6.24 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 77790 pays more and less in California
29 payment localities
$20.13 to $26.37
Radiation oncology
About 77790: Radiation handling and physics service
Reports technical radiation-handling and physics work associated with therapeutic radioactive sources, such as source-related work during brachytherapy.
Radiation handling and physics work supports therapeutic use of radioactive sources, commonly in brachytherapy. The radiation oncology team, including medical physicists and other qualified technical staff, performs source-related technical tasks and radiation-safety work around treatment. This service is distinct in purpose from placing an applicator or delivering a particular brachytherapy technique.
Report 77790 when the record identifies radiation-handling or physics work performed, rather than relying only on the presence of a brachytherapy procedure. Documentation should connect the technical work to the radioactive source and treatment, and identify the date and personnel involved. CMS classifies 77790 as technical-component-only; interpretation is represented by a separate code. The treatment application or delivery code describes the brachytherapy procedure itself, while 77790 represents the radiation-handling service.
CMS billing rules for 77790
- Professional and technical components
- Technical-component-only code: a separate code covers interpretation.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.00 · 0%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.54 · 96%
- Malpractice RVU0.02 · 4%
41
Medicare services in 2024 · #5492 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.
77790 compared with similar codes
Office rates for California, from the same CMS release.
$270.55–$347.68
77767 describes HDR skin-surface brachytherapy. It identifies a treatment modality, whereas 77790 represents radiation-handling and physics work.
$375.47–$478.79
77770 describes HDR interstitial or intracavitary brachytherapy. Choose it for the treatment service; 77790 represents separately documented technical handling work.
Compare 77790 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 $20.17 | Facility Unavailable |
| Chico | Office $20.13 | Facility Unavailable |
| El Centro | Office $20.13 | Facility Unavailable |
| Fresno | Office $20.13 | Facility Unavailable |
| Hanford-Corcoran | Office $20.13 | Facility Unavailable |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty) | Office $21.78 | Facility Unavailable |
| Madera | Office $20.13 | Facility Unavailable |
| Merced | Office $20.13 | Facility Unavailable |
| Modesto | Office $20.13 | Facility Unavailable |
| Napa | Office $24.11 | Facility Unavailable |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | Office $21.74 | Facility Unavailable |
| Redding | Office $20.13 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of California | Office $20.13 | Facility Unavailable |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | Office $20.34 | Facility Unavailable |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Office $21.33 | Facility Unavailable |
| Salinas | Office $21.26 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | Office $21.93 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty) | Office $25.74 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty) | Office $25.72 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty) | Office $26.37 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty) | Office $26.27 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Office $20.90 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | Office $22.27 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Office $21.39 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | Office $22.51 | Facility Unavailable |
| Stockton | Office $20.13 | Facility Unavailable |
| Vallejo | Office $24.08 | Facility Unavailable |
| Visalia | Office $20.13 | Facility Unavailable |
| Yuba City | Office $20.13 | Facility Unavailable |
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77790 billing questions
Should 77790 be reported instead of a brachytherapy application code?
No. Codes such as 77761 describe an intracavitary application, while 77790 represents technical radiation-handling and physics work. The record should support the service represented by each code.
Does 77790 include interpretation?
No. CMS classifies 77790 as technical-component-only, with interpretation represented by a separate code.
What documentation supports 77790?
Document the source-related handling or physics work performed, its connection to treatment, and the date and personnel involved. A brachytherapy procedure alone does not describe the handling work.
Can 77790 be reported with a brachytherapy treatment code?
It may be reported with a related brachytherapy procedure when the record supports the radiation-handling service as well as the treatment application or delivery. Do not infer the handling work solely from the treatment code.
Does 77790 have a professional component?
No. CMS identifies 77790 as technical-component-only; interpretation is covered by a separate code.
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.
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