$62.89
27369 is for intra-articular contrast placement for knee arthrography or enhanced CT/MRI. Use 20610 for a major-joint aspiration or injection that is not an arthrographic contrast procedure.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27369 Knee contrast injection Medicare reimbursement rates in Iowa
Reports image-guided contrast placement into the knee joint for arthrography or a CT or MRI examination requiring intra-articular contrast. Compare 27369 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Iowa.
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 27369 in Iowa?
Iowa 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
$167.00
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Iowa
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$31.92
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Iowa
One mapped payment locality.
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.
Radiology
About 27369: Knee arthrogram contrast injection
Reports image-guided contrast placement into the knee joint for arthrography or a CT or MRI examination requiring intra-articular contrast.
This service places contrast inside the knee joint to support an arthrogram or a CT or MRI examination that uses intra-articular contrast. A radiologist commonly performs the injection in an imaging suite; another qualified clinician may perform it when the procedure and guidance are documented. Imaging guidance is used to position the needle and confirm contrast placement. The CT or MRI image acquisition is a separate service when performed.
Choose this code for intra-articular contrast placement, not for a routine therapeutic knee injection such as one using medication. Documentation should identify the knee and laterality, clinical indication, injection approach, contrast administration, and confirmation of joint placement. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures receive the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 for bilateral reporting is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services are not paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 27369
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.75 · 14%
- Practice expense (office) RVU4.61 · 85%
- Malpractice RVU0.08 · 1%
14.3K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1281 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.
27369 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Iowa, from the same CMS release.
$290.78
73722 reports MRI image acquisition of a lower-extremity joint with contrast. It is the imaging service, while 27369 reports placement of contrast in the knee joint.
$189.23
73721 reports MRI image acquisition without contrast. Use 27369 when intra-articular contrast is placed for arthrography or an enhanced knee examination.
Compare 27369 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
Iowa →
Office / nonfacility
$167.00
Facility
$31.92
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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 27369 in Iowa.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,860
- Code
- 27369
- Physician work
- 0.75
- Practice expense
- 4.61
- Malpractice
- 0.08
GPCI2026.csv
53
- Locality
- Iowa
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.915
- Malpractice
- 0.397
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.75 | × 1.000 | 0.7500 |
| Practice expense | 4.61 | × 0.915 | 4.2182 |
| Malpractice | 0.08 | × 0.397 | 0.0318 |
| Total RVUs | 4.9999 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Iowa$167.00
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.75 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 4.61 | 0.915 |
| Malpractice | 0.08 | 0.397 |
(0.75 × 1 + 4.61 × 0.915 + 0.08 × 0.397) × $33.4009 = $167.00
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.75 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.19 | 0.915 |
| Malpractice | 0.08 | 0.397 |
(0.75 × 1 + 0.19 × 0.915 + 0.08 × 0.397) × $33.4009 = $31.92
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.
27369 billing questions
When should this code be used instead of 20610?
Use 27369 for intra-articular contrast placement for knee arthrography or enhanced CT/MRI. Code 20610 describes a major-joint injection or aspiration without this arthrographic contrast service.
Can the knee CT or MRI be reported separately?
Yes. The contrast injection and the subsequent CT or MRI image acquisition are separate services when both are performed and documented.
Is this reported once for each knee?
For bilateral knee procedures, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%. Document the procedure on each side.
What documentation supports the injection?
Record the knee and laterality, reason for the arthrogram or enhanced examination, injection approach, contrast administration, and confirmation that contrast entered the joint.
Are assistant or co-surgeon modifiers appropriate?
CMS does not pay assistant-at-surgery services for this code and does not permit co-surgeon or team-surgery billing.
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.
2,85727360,,Partial removal leg bone(s),A,,11.17,12.10,NA,12.10,,2.38,25.65,25.65,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,85827364,,Resect thigh/knee tum 5 cm/>,A,,23.88,13.61,NA,13.61,,5.34,42.83,42.83,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,85927365,,Resect femur/knee tumor,A,,31.40,16.89,NA,16.89,,6.71,55.00,55.00,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,86027369,,Njx cntrst kne arthg/ct/mri,A,,0.75,4.61,,0.19,,0.08,5.44,1.02,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,86127372,,Removal of foreign body,A,,5.08,12.98,,5.57,,1.07,19.13,11.72,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,86227380,,Repair of kneecap tendon,A,,7.26,9.14,NA,9.14,,1.50,17.90,17.90,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,86327381,,Repair/graft kneecap tendon,A,,10.49,10.53,NA,10.53,,2.19,23.21,23.21,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
5607202,LA,01,NEW ORLEANS,1.000,0.941,1.136