$98.81
Choose 70450 when the head CT is performed without contrast only. This code requires both noncontrast and contrast-enhanced acquisitions.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
70470 Head CT Medicare reimbursement rates in Iowa
Reports a head or brain CT with image acquisition both before and after contrast, commonly used to evaluate findings requiring both phases. Compare 70470 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 70470 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
$160.27
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Iowa
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.
Radiology
About 70470: Head CT before and after contrast
Reports a head or brain CT with image acquisition both before and after contrast, commonly used to evaluate findings requiring both phases.
This examination acquires CT images of the head or brain before and after intravenous contrast. Radiologists interpret the images, while CT technologists perform the scan under the ordering clinician’s direction. Common clinical situations include evaluation of a suspected intracranial mass or infection when both unenhanced and contrast-enhanced images are requested. The service is performed in hospital imaging departments and outpatient diagnostic imaging centers.
Report this code when the study includes both the noncontrast and contrast-enhanced phases; use a single code for the complete examination rather than separate codes for each phase. The order and imaging report should support the head or brain anatomy examined and the acquisition of both phases. The service may be billed globally, or the interpretation and the equipment-and-staff portion may be billed separately with modifiers 26 and TC. When multiple diagnostic imaging procedures are performed, Medicare’s multiple-procedure reduction applies to both the technical and professional components.
CMS billing rules for 70470
- 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.
- Multiple procedures
- Diagnostic imaging multiple procedure reduction applies to the technical and professional components.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU1.24 · 24%
- Practice expense (office) RVU3.85 · 74%
- Malpractice RVU0.09 · 2%
59.4K
Medicare services in 2024 · #720 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.
70470 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Iowa, from the same CMS release.
$137.26
Choose 70460 when the head CT uses contrast but has no noncontrast phase. Report this code when both phases are performed.
70496
No office rateCt angiography head
70496 describes CT angiography of the head for vascular evaluation. This code describes a routine head or brain CT with both noncontrast and contrast-enhanced phases.
Compare 70470 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
$160.27
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 70470 in Iowa.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
7,784
- Code
- 70470
- Physician work
- 1.24
- Practice expense
- 3.85
- Malpractice
- 0.09
GPCI2026.csv
53
- Locality
- Iowa
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.915
- Malpractice
- 0.397
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 1.24 | × 1.000 | 1.2400 |
| Practice expense | 3.85 | × 0.915 | 3.5228 |
| Malpractice | 0.09 | × 0.397 | 0.0357 |
| Total RVUs | 4.7985 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Iowa$160.27
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.24 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 3.85 | 0.915 |
| Malpractice | 0.09 | 0.397 |
(1.24 × 1 + 3.85 × 0.915 + 0.09 × 0.397) × $33.4009 = $160.27
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.
70470 billing questions
When should this code be chosen instead of 70450 or 70460?
Use this code when the head CT includes both noncontrast and contrast-enhanced image acquisitions. Code 70450 describes a noncontrast study, while 70460 describes a study with contrast only.
Should the two phases be reported as separate CT services?
No. Report one unit of this code for the complete head CT with both phases, rather than separate codes for the precontrast and postcontrast acquisitions.
How are the interpretation and scan acquisition billed?
The global service is billed without a component modifier. Modifier 26 identifies the professional interpretation, and modifier TC identifies the technical portion, including equipment and staff.
Can a professional or technical component be subject to a multiple-procedure reduction?
Yes. When multiple diagnostic imaging procedures are performed, the Medicare multiple-procedure reduction applies to both the professional and technical components.
What documentation supports reporting both contrast phases?
The order and imaging report should identify the head or brain study and show that images were acquired both before and after contrast. A contrast-enhanced phase alone does not support this code.
Is this the appropriate code for a head CTA?
No. This code describes a routine head CT with and without contrast; code 70496 is for head CT angiography when vascular imaging is performed.
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.
7,78170460,,Ct head/brain w/dye,A,,1.10,3.25,,3.25,NA,0.09,4.44,4.44,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,5.72,5.72,0.11
7,78270460,26,Ct head/brain w/dye,A,,1.10,0.39,,0.39,,0.07,1.56,1.56,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,78370460,TC,Ct head/brain w/dye,A,,0.00,2.86,,2.86,NA,0.02,2.88,2.88,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,02,0,88,5.33,5.33,0.04
7,78470470,,Ct head/brain w/o & w/dye,A,,1.24,3.85,,3.85,NA,0.09,5.18,5.18,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,5.77,5.77,0.10
7,78570470,26,Ct head/brain w/o & w/dye,A,,1.24,0.44,,0.44,,0.07,1.75,1.75,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,78670470,TC,Ct head/brain w/o & w/dye,A,,0.00,3.41,,3.41,NA,0.02,3.43,3.43,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,02,0,88,5.33,5.33,0.03
7,78770471,,Cta h&n c+ w/noncontrast img,A,,2.50,8.60,,8.60,NA,0.18,11.28,11.28,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,11.52,11.52,0.19
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