$65.56
Both report red cell mass testing. Choose 78121 for multiple determinations and 78120 for a single determination.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
78121 Red cell mass Medicare reimbursement rates in Kansas
Reports a nuclear medicine study that determines circulating red cell mass using multiple measurements, often during evaluation of erythrocytosis. Compare 78121 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Kansas.
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 78121 in Kansas?
Kansas 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
$88.49
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kansas
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.
Nuclear medicine
About 78121: Red cell mass, multiple determinations
Reports a nuclear medicine study that determines circulating red cell mass using multiple measurements, often during evaluation of erythrocytosis.
This study measures the amount of red blood cells circulating in the patient’s body. It commonly involves labeling the patient’s red cells, returning them to circulation, and obtaining multiple measurements from blood samples. Nuclear medicine staff perform the technical work, and a qualified physician interprets the results. The test may help evaluate whether an elevated red cell count reflects increased red cell mass or another cause, such as reduced plasma volume.
Select this code when the performed study includes multiple red cell mass determinations; use the single-determination code when only one is performed. Documentation should identify the study performed, its multiple measurements, and the physician’s interpretation. CMS recognizes professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies interpretation, modifier TC identifies equipment and staff, and billing without either modifier represents the global service. Modifiers 26 and TC are separately priced.
CMS billing rules for 78121
- 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 RVU0.31 · 11%
- Practice expense (office) RVU2.56 · 88%
- Malpractice RVU0.05 · 2%
219
Medicare services in 2024 · #4249 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.
78121 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kansas, from the same CMS release.
$92.10
78122 reports total blood-volume determination; 78121 reports multiple determinations of red cell mass specifically.
$87.57
78111 measures plasma volume through multiple determinations, while 78121 measures red cell mass through multiple determinations.
Compare 78121 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
Kansas →
Office / nonfacility
$88.49
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 78121 in Kansas.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
9,233
- Code
- 78121
- Physician work
- 0.31
- Practice expense
- 2.56
- Malpractice
- 0.05
GPCI2026.csv
54
- Locality
- Kansas
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.904
- Malpractice
- 0.504
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.31 | × 1.000 | 0.3100 |
| Practice expense | 2.56 | × 0.904 | 2.3142 |
| Malpractice | 0.05 | × 0.504 | 0.0252 |
| Total RVUs | 2.6494 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Kansas$88.49
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.31 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 2.56 | 0.904 |
| Malpractice | 0.05 | 0.504 |
(0.31 × 1 + 2.56 × 0.904 + 0.05 × 0.504) × $33.4009 = $88.49
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.
78121 billing questions
When should 78121 be chosen instead of 78120?
Use 78121 when the red cell mass study involves multiple determinations. Use 78120 when the study involves a single determination.
Does “multiple” mean the test was repeated on another date?
It refers to multiple determinations in the performed study, not simply a later repeat of the test. The record should support that the study included multiple measurements.
How should the professional and technical portions be billed?
Report modifier 26 for the physician’s interpretation or modifier TC for the technical service. Without either modifier, the claim represents the global service.
Can plasma volume testing be reported with this study?
A plasma volume determination is a separate measurement from red cell mass and may be performed as part of a blood-volume assessment. The record should support each service reported.
What documentation supports 78121?
Document the red cell mass study, the multiple determinations performed, and the physician’s interpretation. The technical record should support the equipment and staff services when the TC portion is billed.
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.
9,23078120,,Red cell mass single,A,,0.22,1.90,,1.90,NA,0.05,2.17,2.17,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,23178120,26,Red cell mass single,A,,0.22,0.04,,0.04,,0.01,0.27,0.27,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,23278120,TC,Red cell mass single,A,,0.00,1.86,,1.86,NA,0.04,1.90,1.90,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,23378121,,Red cell mass multiple,A,,0.31,2.56,,2.56,NA,0.05,2.92,2.92,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,23478121,26,Red cell mass multiple,A,,0.31,0.12,,0.12,,0.01,0.44,0.44,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,23578121,TC,Red cell mass multiple,A,,0.00,2.44,,2.44,NA,0.04,2.48,2.48,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,23678122,,Whl bld volume determination,A,,0.44,2.53,,2.53,NA,0.06,3.03,3.03,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
5707202,LA,99,REST OF LOUISIANA,1.000,0.885,0.958