$42.50
72040 applies to a cervical spine study with two or three views; 72050 applies when four or five views are obtained.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
72050 Neck spine X-ray Medicare reimbursement rates in Connecticut
Reports cervical spine radiographs when four or five views are obtained to evaluate neck pain, alignment, or suspected bony changes. Compare 72050 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Connecticut.
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 72050 in Connecticut?
Connecticut 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
$58.99
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Connecticut
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 72050: Cervical spine radiographs, four or five views
Reports cervical spine radiographs when four or five views are obtained to evaluate neck pain, alignment, or suspected bony changes.
This service uses X-rays to image the cervical spine in four or five views. A radiologic technologist typically obtains the projections in an office imaging suite, outpatient radiology department, or hospital, and a physician—often a radiologist—interprets the images. Clinicians may request this examination when assessing neck pain, suspected degenerative changes, or cervical alignment. The views provide more coverage than a limited two- or three-view cervical study.
Select the code based on the cervical region and the number of views actually obtained; the report should support both. Billing without a modifier represents the global service, including the imaging equipment and staff as well as the interpretation. When those portions are billed separately, modifier 26 identifies the professional interpretation and modifier TC identifies the technical service. The CMS fee schedule separately prices these modifiers.
CMS billing rules for 72050
- 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 RVU0.26 · 16%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.36 · 82%
- Malpractice RVU0.03 · 2%
352.5K
Medicare services in 2024 · #281 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.
72050 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Connecticut, from the same CMS release.
$67.21
Both codes cover cervical spine imaging, but 72052 is for six or more views rather than four or five.
$35.32
72070 is for thoracic spine imaging. Choose 72050 when the imaged region is the cervical spine and four or five views are obtained.
Compare 72050 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
Connecticut →
Office / nonfacility
$58.99
Facility
Unavailable
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
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 72050 in Connecticut.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
7,943
- Code
- 72050
- Physician work
- 0.26
- Practice expense
- 1.36
- Malpractice
- 0.03
GPCI2026.csv
38
- Locality
- Connecticut
- Physician work
- 1.020
- Practice expense
- 1.077
- Malpractice
- 1.210
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.26 | × 1.020 | 0.2652 |
| Practice expense | 1.36 | × 1.077 | 1.4647 |
| Malpractice | 0.03 | × 1.210 | 0.0363 |
| Total RVUs | 1.7662 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Connecticut$58.99
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.26 | 1.02 |
| Practice expense | 1.36 | 1.077 |
| Malpractice | 0.03 | 1.21 |
(0.26 × 1.02 + 1.36 × 1.077 + 0.03 × 1.21) × $33.4009 = $58.99
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.
72050 billing questions
When should 72050 be chosen instead of 72040?
Use 72050 when four or five cervical spine views are obtained. Use 72040 for a cervical study with two or three views.
Does four views versus five views change the code?
No. Both four- and five-view cervical spine examinations fall within 72050; the documentation should show the views obtained.
How are the interpretation and imaging service billed?
Billing without a modifier represents the global service. Modifier 26 identifies the professional interpretation, while modifier TC identifies the technical service.
Can the professional and technical portions be billed separately?
Yes. The professional component and technical component may be reported separately with modifiers 26 and TC, respectively, when each portion is furnished and billed separately.
What documentation supports 72050?
The imaging record should identify the cervical spine examination and establish that four or five views were obtained. The interpretation should document the physician's findings.
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.
7,94072040,,X-ray exam neck spine 2-3 vw,A,,0.21,0.96,,0.96,NA,0.02,1.19,1.19,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,2.72,2.72,0.04
7,94172040,26,X-ray exam neck spine 2-3 vw,A,,0.21,0.09,,0.09,,0.01,0.31,0.31,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,94272040,TC,X-ray exam neck spine 2-3 vw,A,,0.00,0.87,,0.87,NA,0.01,0.88,0.88,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,2.63,2.63,0.03
7,94372050,,X-ray exam neck spine 4/5vws,A,,0.26,1.36,,1.36,NA,0.03,1.65,1.65,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,3.28,3.28,0.05
7,94472050,26,X-ray exam neck spine 4/5vws,A,,0.26,0.11,,0.11,,0.02,0.39,0.39,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,94572050,TC,X-ray exam neck spine 4/5vws,A,,0.00,1.25,,1.25,NA,0.01,1.26,1.26,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,3.17,3.17,0.03
7,94672052,,X-ray exam neck spine 6/>vws,A,,0.29,1.56,,1.56,NA,0.03,1.88,1.88,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,3.30,3.30,0.04
3501112,CA,70,YUBA CITY,1.017,1.096,0.536
3601112,CA,75,REST OF CALIFORNIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3704112,CO,01,COLORADO,1.012,1.064,0.781
3813102,CT,00,CONNECTICUT,1.020,1.077,1.210
3912202,DC,01,DC + MD/VA SUBURBS,1.054,1.178,1.113
4012102,DE,01,DELAWARE,1.005,0.988,0.899
4109102,FL,03,FORT LAUDERDALE,1.000,1.013,1.808