$287.54
78278 targets suspected GI blood loss; 78290 describes intestine imaging for a different diagnostic purpose.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
78278 GI bleeding scan Medicare reimbursement rates in Delaware
Nuclear medicine imaging tracks suspected active gastrointestinal bleeding to help localize blood loss, including bleeding that may occur intermittently. Compare 78278 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Delaware.
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 78278 in Delaware?
Delaware 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
$302.20
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Delaware
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.
Nuclear medicine
About 78278: Acute gastrointestinal bleeding scan
Nuclear medicine imaging tracks suspected active gastrointestinal bleeding to help localize blood loss, including bleeding that may occur intermittently.
This study uses nuclear medicine imaging to look for and localize active blood loss into the gastrointestinal tract. A common approach uses the patient’s radiolabeled red blood cells, with serial imaging to follow suspected bleeding over time. It is typically performed in a nuclear medicine department for patients with suspected acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage, including cases in which bleeding is intermittent and localization is needed to guide care. A nuclear medicine physician or radiologist interprets the images; technologists perform the imaging and related technical work.
Report 78278 for imaging directed at acute GI blood loss, rather than a study aimed at another question such as gastric emptying or intestinal protein loss. The record should support the bleeding indication and include the study and interpretation. CMS recognizes professional and technical components: report modifier 26 for the interpretation, modifier TC for equipment and staff, or no component modifier for the global service. Serial images within the study do not represent separate services.
CMS billing rules for 78278
- 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 RVU0.97 · 11%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.08 · 88%
- Malpractice RVU0.10 · 1%
11.6K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1397 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.
78278 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Delaware, from the same CMS release.
Compare 78278 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
Delaware →
Office / nonfacility
$302.20
Facility
Unavailable
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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 78278 in Delaware.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
9,304
- Code
- 78278
- Physician work
- 0.97
- Practice expense
- 8.08
- Malpractice
- 0.10
GPCI2026.csv
40
- Locality
- Delaware
- Physician work
- 1.005
- Practice expense
- 0.988
- Malpractice
- 0.899
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.97 | × 1.005 | 0.9748 |
| Practice expense | 8.08 | × 0.988 | 7.9830 |
| Malpractice | 0.10 | × 0.899 | 0.0899 |
| Total RVUs | 9.0478 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Delaware$302.20
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.97 | 1.005 |
| Practice expense | 8.08 | 0.988 |
| Malpractice | 0.1 | 0.899 |
(0.97 × 1.005 + 8.08 × 0.988 + 0.1 × 0.899) × $33.4009 = $302.20
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.
78278 billing questions
When should 78278 be selected instead of intestine imaging?
Use 78278 when the imaging is directed at locating suspected gastrointestinal blood loss. Intestinal imaging such as 78290 addresses a different diagnostic question.
Can the interpretation and imaging be billed separately?
Yes. Modifier 26 identifies the professional interpretation, and modifier TC identifies the technical service. Without either modifier, the claim represents the global service.
Are serial images separate units?
No. Serial images used to follow possible bleeding are part of the imaging study, not separate services.
What documentation supports reporting 78278?
Document the suspected acute GI bleeding indication and the imaging performed to detect or localize blood loss. The interpretation should describe the findings relevant to that question.
Is a radiopharmaceutical code commonly reported with this study?
The radiolabeled red blood cell supply may be reported separately when applicable; A9560 identifies technetium Tc-99m labeled red blood cells.
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.
9,30178266,TC,Gstr empt img sm bwl&colon,A,,0.00,10.33,,10.33,NA,0.07,10.40,10.40,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,16.50,16.50,0.11
9,30278267,,Urea breath tst c-14 acquisj,X,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,30378268,,Urea breath test c-14 alys,X,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,30478278,,Acute gi blood loss imaging,A,,0.97,8.08,,8.08,NA,0.10,9.15,9.15,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.48,12.48,0.13
9,30578278,26,Acute gi blood loss imaging,A,,0.97,0.33,,0.33,,0.05,1.35,1.35,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,30678278,TC,Acute gi blood loss imaging,A,,0.00,7.75,,7.75,NA,0.05,7.80,7.80,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,12.15,12.15,0.08
9,30778282,,Gi protein loss,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,NA,0.00,0.00,0.00,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.29,12.29,0.02
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
4209102,FL,04,MIAMI,1.000,1.041,2.529
4309102,FL,99,REST OF FLORIDA,1.000,0.956,1.503