Billing code 79440: Joint radiotherapyMedicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Reports radiopharmaceutical treatment delivered into a joint to treat synovial disease, such as persistent inflammatory synovitis or synovitis associated with hemophilic arthropathy.
Medicare pays $115.84–$121.87 for 79440 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 79440 covers
This service delivers a therapeutic radiopharmaceutical directly into a joint to treat synovial disease, rather than using a routine medication injection. It is generally performed by a nuclear medicine or radiology physician with the joint accessed by a qualified clinician, often in a specialized outpatient or hospital setting. Examples include treatment of persistent synovitis associated with inflammatory arthritis or hemophilic arthropathy.
Select 79440 when documentation supports intra-articular delivery of a radiopharmaceutical for therapy. The record should identify the treated joint, the therapeutic purpose, and the administration performed. CMS recognizes professional and technical components: modifier 26 reports the professional interpretation, modifier TC reports the technical component, and billing without either modifier represents the global service. The technical component includes equipment and staff.
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 79440 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
$115.84 to $121.87
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | $119.25 | Unavailable |
| Miami | $121.87 | Unavailable |
| Rest Of Florida | $115.84 | Unavailable |
How the 79440 rate is calculated
Each of 79440’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 · 79440
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.94Practice expense 1.52Malpractice 0.05
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 79440
The CMS indicators that decide how 79440 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 79440
Joint radiotherapy
| 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) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| 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
79440 without 26 · national office
$117.24
Joint radiotherapy
79440-26 · Professional component
$77.49
Pays only the interpretation and report.
79440 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
79440 vs 79445 vs 79403 vs 20610: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 79445Nuclear rx intra-arterial
- Choose 79440 for intra-articular delivery and 79445 for intra-arterial particulate administration. The administration route distinguishes these therapy codes.
- 79403Nuclear therapy
- 79403 is for radiopharmaceutical therapy associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma; 79440 identifies treatment delivered into a joint.
- 20610Joint injection
- 20610 describes aspiration and/or injection of a major joint or bursa. It is not the radiopharmaceutical therapy code for treatment delivered into a joint.
79440 billing questions
When should 79440 be chosen over 79445?
Use 79440 for radiopharmaceutical treatment delivered into a joint. Code 79445 describes treatment delivered by the intra-arterial route.
Does 79440 describe ordinary medication injection into a joint?
No. It is for intra-articular radiopharmaceutical therapy, such as treatment directed at diseased synovium, rather than a routine corticosteroid or anesthetic injection.
How are the professional and technical components reported?
Report modifier 26 for the professional interpretation or modifier TC for the technical component. Without either modifier, the claim represents the global service.
What documentation supports reporting 79440?
Document the joint treated, the therapeutic indication, and that a radiopharmaceutical was administered intra-articularly. The record should distinguish this treatment from an ordinary joint injection.
Does 79440 identify the specific joint or number of joints treated?
The code identifies the intra-articular radiopharmaceutical therapy, not a particular joint. Document each treated site and the service performed; do not infer a unit count from the code descriptor alone.
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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