Billing code 73501: Hip X-rayMedicare rate & RVUs in Guam

Reports a single-view radiographic examination of one hip, such as a limited study for focused assessment of the hip joint and nearby bone.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 20261 payment locality199.8K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $37.16 for 73501 in the office in Guam (Hawaii, Guam). Which amount applies depends on the service address.

$37.16Office (non-facility)
—Hospital or facility

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

We’ll open 73501 for the payment locality that covers the ZIP.

On this page 9 sections
  1. Rate in Guam
  2. What 73501 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. How it’s calculated
  5. Payment rules
  6. Similar codes
  7. Related codes
  8. Billing questions
  9. Sources

What 73501 covers

This service is a diagnostic X-ray examination of one hip using one radiographic view. It may be performed in a hospital, emergency department, orthopedic clinic, or imaging center when a limited image is requested. A technologist positions the patient and acquires the image; a physician, commonly a radiologist, interprets it and documents the findings. The image includes the hip joint and may show adjacent proximal femur, depending on positioning.

Select 73501 when the documented unilateral hip examination consists of one view; choose a sibling code when more views are obtained. Record the side, number of views, clinical indication, and interpretation. CMS recognizes a global service, which includes both image acquisition and interpretation, or separately priced professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies the interpretation, and modifier TC identifies the equipment and staff portion. The component billed should match the work furnished and documented.

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.

73501 in Hawaii, Guam

73501 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Hawaii, Guam$37.16Unavailable

How the 73501 rate is calculated

Each of 73501’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 · 73501

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 0.18Practice expense 0.81Malpractice 0.02

1.0100 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$33.73

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 73501

The CMS indicators that decide how 73501 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 73501

Hip X-ray

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global periodXXXThe global surgery concept doesn’t apply.
Multiple procedures0No multiple-procedure reduction.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical1Diagnostic test with separate professional (26) and technical (TC) components.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 26 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

73501 without 26 · national office

$33.73

Hip X-ray

73501-26 · Professional component

$9.02

Pays only the interpretation and report.

When to use modifier 26

73501 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

73501 vs 73502 vs 73503 vs 73521: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 73501
    Hip X-ray · 0.18 wRVU
    $33.73
  • 73502
    Hip X-ray · 0.21 wRVU
    $48.77+$15.04
  • 73503
    Hip X-ray · 0.26 wRVU
    $62.79+$29.06
  • 73521
    Hip X-ray · 0.21 wRVU
    $41.75+$8.02

How to choose

73502Hip X-ray
Use 73502 when two or three views are obtained for one hip; 73501 represents a single view.
73503Hip X-ray
Use 73503 for a unilateral study with four or more views, rather than the single view represented by 73501.
73521Hip X-ray
73521 describes a bilateral hip examination with two views; 73501 describes one view of one hip.

73501 billing questions

How is 73501 distinguished from 73502?

73501 is for one view of one hip. Use 73502 when the unilateral examination includes two or three views.

Can 73501 be reported for both hips?

No. This code describes one hip; bilateral hip examinations have separate codes, selected according to the total views obtained.

When should modifier 26 or TC be used?

Use modifier 26 for the physician’s interpretation and report, or modifier TC for the technical service, including equipment and staff. Without either modifier, the claim represents the global service.

What documentation supports 73501?

Document the unilateral side, the single view obtained, the clinical reason for imaging, and the physician’s interpretation and report when that component is billed.

Can 73501 and 73502 be reported for the same hip examination?

Choose the code that matches the total number of views for that unilateral examination rather than reporting both codes to represent the same 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
RVUs for 73501PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 8,186 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for Hawaii, GuamGPCI2026.csv, line 46 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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