$36.73
Choose 77081 for an appendicular site such as the forearm; choose 77080 for central DXA measurements, such as the spine or hip.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
77081 Bone density Medicare reimbursement rates in Indiana
Reports DXA measurement of bone mineral density at one or more peripheral skeletal sites, such as the forearm, rather than the spine or hip. Compare 77081 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Indiana.
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 77081 in Indiana?
Indiana 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
$29.61
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Indiana
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.
Bone densitometry
About 77081: Peripheral DXA bone density study
Reports DXA measurement of bone mineral density at one or more peripheral skeletal sites, such as the forearm, rather than the spine or hip.
This service uses dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to measure bone mineral density at an appendicular, or peripheral, skeletal site. A common example is measurement at the forearm. The test may be part of an osteoporosis evaluation when a peripheral measurement is needed; the acquisition is typically performed by radiology or bone-density staff, with interpretation by a physician or other qualified professional. The report should identify the site examined and include the findings and interpretation.
Report this code for the peripheral DXA study, not for central measurements of the spine or hip. The CMS physician fee schedule recognizes separate professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies the interpretation, modifier TC identifies the equipment and staff service, and no modifier represents the global service. Documentation should support the appendicular site measured and the service actually furnished. The descriptor encompasses one or more peripheral sites as a single study.
CMS billing rules for 77081
- 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 RVU0.20 · 21%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.73 · 77%
- Malpractice RVU0.02 · 2%
135.4K
Medicare services in 2024 · #474 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.
77081 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Indiana, from the same CMS release.
$50.59
77085 combines axial DXA with vertebral fracture assessment. This code describes peripheral DXA and does not identify that axial fracture-assessment service.
$91.94
77078 measures axial bone density using CT. This code is for DXA measurement at a peripheral skeletal site.
Compare 77081 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
Indiana →
Office / nonfacility
$29.61
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 77081 in Indiana.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
9,010
- Code
- 77081
- Physician work
- 0.20
- Practice expense
- 0.73
- Malpractice
- 0.02
GPCI2026.csv
52
- Locality
- Indiana
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.927
- Malpractice
- 0.486
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.20 | × 1.000 | 0.2000 |
| Practice expense | 0.73 | × 0.927 | 0.6767 |
| Malpractice | 0.02 | × 0.486 | 0.0097 |
| Total RVUs | 0.8864 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Indiana$29.61
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.2 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.73 | 0.927 |
| Malpractice | 0.02 | 0.486 |
(0.2 × 1 + 0.73 × 0.927 + 0.02 × 0.486) × $33.4009 = $29.61
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.
77081 billing questions
How does this differ from 77080?
This code is for DXA measurement at an appendicular, or peripheral, site. Code 77080 is for central DXA measurement, such as at the spine or hip.
Which modifiers identify the components?
Append modifier 26 for the professional interpretation or TC for the technical service, including equipment and staff. Report the global service without either modifier.
Can more than one peripheral site be included?
The service covers one or more appendicular sites. Document the site or sites measured; the code describes the study rather than a separate charge for each site.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The record should identify the peripheral skeletal site measured and include the DXA findings and interpretation. The documentation should make clear that the study evaluated an appendicular site, not the spine or hip.
Should this code be used when vertebral fracture assessment is also performed?
Code 77085 describes axial DXA with vertebral fracture assessment. Use this code for a peripheral DXA study; the services should not be treated as interchangeable.
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.
9,00777080,,Dxa bone density axial,A,,0.20,0.96,,0.96,NA,0.02,1.18,1.18,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,3.23,3.23,0.05
9,00877080,26,Dxa bone density axial,A,,0.20,0.07,,0.07,,0.01,0.28,0.28,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,00977080,TC,Dxa bone density axial,A,,0.00,0.89,,0.89,NA,0.01,0.90,0.90,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,3.16,3.16,0.04
9,01077081,,Dxa bone density appendiculr,A,,0.20,0.73,,0.73,NA,0.02,0.95,0.95,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,2.69,2.69,0.05
9,01177081,26,Dxa bone density appendiculr,A,,0.20,0.07,,0.07,,0.01,0.28,0.28,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,01277081,TC,Dxa bone density appendiculr,A,,0.00,0.66,,0.66,NA,0.01,0.67,0.67,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,2.62,2.62,0.04
9,01377084,,Mri bone marrow blood supply,A,,1.56,7.72,,7.72,NA,0.11,9.39,9.39,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,7.83,7.83,0.11
4906102,IL,12,EAST ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.920,2.014
5006102,IL,15,SUBURBAN CHICAGO,1.007,1.027,1.772
5106102,IL,99,REST OF ILLINOIS,1.000,0.913,1.563
5208102,IN,00,INDIANA,1.000,0.927,0.486
5305102,IA,00,IOWA,1.000,0.915,0.397
5405202,KS,00,KANSAS,1.000,0.904,0.504
5515102,KY,00,KENTUCKY,1.000,0.889,0.915