Billing code 73610: Ankle X-rayMedicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Plain radiographic study of the ankle with at least three views, typically AP, mortise, and lateral, reported for injury, pain, arthritis, or post-reduction follow-up.
Medicare pays $36.06–$39.36 for 73610 in the office in Florida, from Rest Of Florida to Miami. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 73610 covers
This complete ankle series captures at least three projections of the tibiotalar joint, most often anteroposterior, mortise, and lateral views, sometimes with weight-bearing or additional oblique images. It is a standard study after an inversion injury that meets the Ottawa ankle rules and is also ordered for suspected malleolar or talar dome fractures, syndesmotic widening, arthritis, and checks after casting or fracture fixation. Images are taken by a radiologic technologist in imaging centers, hospital departments, emergency departments, urgent care, and orthopedic or podiatry offices, then interpreted by a radiologist, orthopedist, or podiatrist.
Code selection depends on the number of views: three or more support this complete study, while a two-view ankle study is reported with 73600. The report should document the views obtained, findings, and impression. CMS separates the professional component, reported with modifier 26 for interpretation, from the technical component, reported with modifier TC for equipment and staff. Billing without a component modifier claims the global service. When both ankles are imaged, CMS pays each side separately at 100%; identify the sides with RT and LT.
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.
Where 73610 pays more and less in Florida
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
3 payment localities
$36.06 to $39.36
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | $38.01 | Unavailable |
| Miami | $39.36 | Unavailable |
| Rest Of Florida | $36.06 | Unavailable |
How the 73610 rate is calculated
Each of 73610’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 73610
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.17
0.17 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.92
0.92 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.02
0.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
1.1100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$37.07
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 73610
The CMS indicators that decide how 73610 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 73610
Ankle X-ray
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 3 | Each side paid at 100% (no 150% cap). |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 1 | Diagnostic test with separate professional (26) and technical (TC) components. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 26 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
73610 without 26 · national office
$37.07
Ankle X-ray
73610-26 · Professional component
$8.35
Pays only the interpretation and report.
73610 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 73600Ankle X-ray
- 73600 covers two ankle views; 73610 requires at least three, commonly AP, mortise, and lateral.
- 73630Foot X-ray
- 73630 is a complete foot series focused on the tarsals, metatarsals, and phalanges; 73610 images the ankle joint and malleoli. Report both when both regions are imaged for a clinical reason.
- 73650Heel X-ray
- 73650 is a dedicated calcaneus study that commonly includes an axial heel view; 73610 is an ankle joint series, although its lateral view shows part of the heel.
- 73615Ankle arthrography
- 73615 is radiological supervision and interpretation of ankle arthrography with intra-articular contrast; 73610 is a plain ankle radiographic study.
73610 billing questions
When is this code chosen over 73600?
Count the documented ankle views. Three or more support 73610; two views, such as AP and lateral, are reported with 73600.
How are bilateral ankle series reported?
Report a study for each ankle, identified with RT and LT. CMS pays each side separately at 100%.
Which modifier does a physician interpreting hospital ankle images use?
The interpreting physician reports modifier 26 for the professional component when the facility provides the technical portion. A practice that provides both imaging and interpretation bills the global service without a component modifier.
Can a foot series be billed with the ankle series on the same day?
Yes, when both regions are imaged for a clinical reason, such as an ankle injury with fifth metatarsal base tenderness. Each study needs its own views and documented interpretation.
Does a wet read in the emergency department support the professional component?
A brief review of ankle images by the treating physician is typically part of the visit. Separately reporting an interpretation requires a written report; only one professional interpretation is generally paid per study.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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