$95.89–$106.64
Choose 78231 when serial salivary gland images are acquired. Routine salivary gland imaging is reported with 78230.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
78230 Salivary imaging Medicare reimbursement rates in Georgia
Reports nuclear medicine imaging of the salivary glands to assess gland visualization during evaluation of suspected salivary gland disease or dysfunction. Compare 78230 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Georgia.
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 78230 in Georgia?
Georgia has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$143.21–$160.76
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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 78230: Salivary gland scintigraphic imaging
Reports nuclear medicine imaging of the salivary glands to assess gland visualization during evaluation of suspected salivary gland disease or dysfunction.
This service uses a radiopharmaceutical and nuclear medicine imaging to evaluate the salivary glands. It may be ordered during workup of symptoms such as dry mouth or suspected gland disease. A nuclear medicine technologist typically performs the image acquisition in a hospital or imaging department, and a qualified physician interprets the study and documents the findings. This code represents routine salivary gland imaging, rather than serial imaging or a dedicated functional study.
Select the code based on the service performed: routine gland imaging is distinct from serial image acquisition and a salivary gland function study. The record should support the clinical reason for imaging, the acquisition performed, and the physician’s interpretation. CMS recognizes professional and technical components: report modifier 26 for the interpretation, modifier TC for equipment and staff, or neither modifier when billing the global service.
CMS billing rules for 78230
- 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 RVU0.44 · 9%
- Practice expense (office) RVU4.22 · 89%
- Malpractice RVU0.07 · 1%
22
Medicare services in 2024 · #5882 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.
78230 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Georgia, from the same CMS release.
$94.22–$104.97
78232 describes a salivary gland function study; 78230 is for routine imaging rather than the dedicated function service.
Compare 78230 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Atlanta →
Office / nonfacility
$160.76
Facility
Unavailable
Rest Of Georgia →
Office / nonfacility
$143.21
Facility
Unavailable
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78230 billing questions
How does this differ from 78231?
Use 78230 for routine salivary gland imaging. Code 78231 describes serial imaging, so the recorded acquisition should support that distinction.
When is 78232 more appropriate?
78232 is for a salivary gland function study. Choose it when the service performed is a function study rather than routine imaging.
Which modifiers identify the components?
Modifier 26 identifies the physician interpretation, and modifier TC identifies the technical service. Bill without either modifier for the global service.
What documentation supports reporting 78230?
The record should identify the clinical reason for the salivary gland study, the imaging performed, and the interpreting physician’s findings.
Can the radiopharmaceutical supply be reported separately?
When technetium-99m pertechnetate is used, A9512 identifies its diagnostic supply. Document the radiopharmaceutical administered and follow applicable billing requirements for the supply.
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.
9,27278227,,Hepatobil syst image w/drug,A,,0.88,10.46,,10.46,NA,0.12,11.46,11.46,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,16.79,16.79,0.16
9,27378227,26,Hepatobil syst image w/drug,A,,0.88,0.30,,0.30,,0.05,1.23,1.23,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,27478227,TC,Hepatobil syst image w/drug,A,,0.00,10.16,,10.16,NA,0.07,10.23,10.23,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,16.49,16.49,0.11
9,27578230,,Salivary gland imaging,A,,0.44,4.22,,4.22,NA,0.07,4.73,4.73,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.27,12.27,0.15
9,27678230,26,Salivary gland imaging,A,,0.44,0.16,,0.16,,0.03,0.63,0.63,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,27778230,TC,Salivary gland imaging,A,,0.00,4.06,,4.06,NA,0.04,4.10,4.10,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,12.11,12.11,0.12
9,27878231,,Salivary glnd img serial img,A,,0.51,2.58,,2.58,NA,0.05,3.14,3.14,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.12,12.12,0.20