$180.05–$233.87
78014 includes quantitative uptake measurement with the thyroid images. Choose 78013 when imaging is performed without quantitative uptake measurements.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
78014 Thyroid scan Medicare reimbursement rates in California
Reports thyroid nuclear imaging that assesses tracer distribution and includes one or more quantitative uptake measurements during evaluation of thyroid function or structure. Compare 78014 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 78014 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
$228.39–$296.36
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $67.97 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 78014 pays more and less in California
29 payment localities
$228.39 to $296.36
Nuclear medicine
About 78014: Thyroid imaging with quantitative uptake
Reports thyroid nuclear imaging that assesses tracer distribution and includes one or more quantitative uptake measurements during evaluation of thyroid function or structure.
This service combines nuclear imaging of the thyroid gland with quantitative measurement of tracer uptake. The imaging can include assessment of blood flow and shows how tracer is distributed in the gland; the uptake measurement adds a quantified assessment of thyroid activity. Nuclear medicine technologists typically perform the acquisition, and a radiologist or nuclear medicine physician interprets the study. It is used in diagnostic evaluation of thyroid disorders when the clinical workup calls for both gland imaging and quantitative uptake information.
Select this code when the documented study includes thyroid imaging and one or more quantitative uptake measurements. The report should support both the imaging findings and the uptake measurement; imaging without quantitative uptake is represented by a neighboring code, while uptake measurement alone is a separate service. CMS recognizes professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies the interpretation, modifier TC identifies the equipment and staff service, and billing without either modifier represents the global service.
CMS billing rules for 78014
- 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 RVU0.49 · 8%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.75 · 91%
- Malpractice RVU0.07 · 1%
9.7K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1480 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.
78014 compared with similar codes
Office rates for California, from the same CMS release.
$86.61–$112.28
78012 reports quantitative thyroid uptake measurement without thyroid imaging. Use 78014 when the study includes both imaging and quantitative uptake.
$220.46–$284.65
78015 is for imaging directed to thyroid carcinoma metastases; 78014 evaluates the thyroid gland and includes quantitative uptake measurement.
$298.11–$385.32
78018 addresses whole-body imaging for thyroid carcinoma metastases, rather than imaging the thyroid gland with quantitative uptake.
Compare 78014 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 $228.59 | Facility Unavailable |
| Chico | Office $228.39 | Facility Unavailable |
| El Centro | Office $228.40 | Facility Unavailable |
| Fresno | Office $228.39 | Facility Unavailable |
| Hanford-Corcoran | Office $228.39 | Facility Unavailable |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty) | Office $245.79 | Facility Unavailable |
| Madera | Office $228.39 | Facility Unavailable |
| Merced | Office $228.39 | Facility Unavailable |
| Modesto | Office $228.39 | Facility Unavailable |
| Napa | Office $271.71 | Facility Unavailable |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | Office $245.29 | Facility Unavailable |
| Redding | Office $228.39 | Facility Unavailable |
| Rest Of California | Office $228.39 | Facility Unavailable |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | Office $229.15 | Facility Unavailable |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Office $241.57 | Facility Unavailable |
| Salinas | Office $240.72 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | Office $247.82 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty) | Office $289.79 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty) | Office $289.71 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty) | Office $296.36 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty) | Office $296.04 | Facility Unavailable |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Office $236.65 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | Office $251.31 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Office $242.01 | Facility Unavailable |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | Office $253.95 | Facility Unavailable |
| Stockton | Office $228.39 | Facility Unavailable |
| Vallejo | Office $271.60 | Facility Unavailable |
| Visalia | Office $228.39 | Facility Unavailable |
| Yuba City | Office $228.39 | Facility Unavailable |
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78014 billing questions
How does this differ from 78013?
This code includes one or more quantitative uptake measurements in addition to thyroid imaging. Use 78013 when thyroid imaging is performed without those quantitative measurements.
Can 78012 be reported for the uptake measurement too?
78014 includes quantitative uptake measurement with thyroid imaging. Do not separately report 78012 for the same uptake measurements.
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 reporting 78014?
The record should show that thyroid imaging was performed and include the quantitative uptake measurement or measurements, along with the interpreted findings.
Is this the code for imaging thyroid cancer metastases?
No. This code concerns imaging the thyroid gland with quantitative uptake. Codes such as 78015 and 78018 address imaging for thyroid carcinoma metastases.
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.
9,18278013,,Thyroid imaging w/blood flow,A,,0.36,4.56,,4.56,NA,0.05,4.97,4.97,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.27,12.27,0.10
9,18378013,26,Thyroid imaging w/blood flow,A,,0.36,0.12,,0.12,,0.02,0.50,0.50,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,18478013,TC,Thyroid imaging w/blood flow,A,,0.00,4.44,,4.44,NA,0.03,4.47,4.47,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.15,12.15,0.08
9,18578014,,Thyroid imaging w/blood flow,A,,0.49,5.75,,5.75,NA,0.07,6.31,6.31,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.30,12.30,0.12
9,18678014,26,Thyroid imaging w/blood flow,A,,0.49,0.16,,0.16,,0.03,0.68,0.68,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,18778014,TC,Thyroid imaging w/blood flow,A,,0.00,5.59,,5.59,NA,0.04,5.63,5.63,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.14,12.14,0.09
9,18878015,,Thyroid met imaging,A,,0.65,5.38,,5.38,NA,0.08,6.11,6.11,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.37,12.37,0.14