$153.89–$164.58
Choose 78600 when brain imaging is performed without a vascular-flow phase. Choose 78601 when the examination includes flow imaging as well.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
78601 Brain imaging Medicare reimbursement rates in Maine
Reports nuclear medicine brain imaging that includes a vascular-flow phase and fewer than four views for evaluation of cerebral tracer distribution. Compare 78601 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Maine.
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 78601 in Maine?
Maine has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$177.94–$190.30
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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 78601: Brain imaging with flow, limited views
Reports nuclear medicine brain imaging that includes a vascular-flow phase and fewer than four views for evaluation of cerebral tracer distribution.
This nuclear medicine service combines imaging of tracer movement through the brain’s blood supply with images of tracer distribution in the brain. It is performed in a nuclear medicine department, commonly in a hospital setting, by technologists who acquire the study for interpretation by a qualified physician. The documented study includes fewer than four views; dynamic frames during the flow phase are not a substitute for the view count used to distinguish this service from higher-view codes.
Select the code when the performed study includes both flow imaging and brain imaging, and the recorded views meet this code’s range. The report should identify the flow and imaging portions and document the acquired views. CMS recognizes separate professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies the interpretation, modifier TC identifies equipment and staff, and billing without either modifier represents the global service.
CMS billing rules for 78601
- 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 RVU0.50 · 9%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.20 · 90%
- Malpractice RVU0.07 · 1%
335
Medicare services in 2024 · #3907 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.
78601 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Maine, from the same CMS release.
$165.71–$177.06
78605 is for brain imaging without flow imaging when four or more views are documented; 78601 includes flow imaging and fewer than four views.
$265.74–$284.55
Both codes include flow imaging, but 78606 is for four or more views. 78601 is for fewer than four.
$144.30–$154.61
78610 covers flow imaging alone. 78601 includes both the flow phase and brain imaging.
Compare 78601 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Rest Of Maine →
Office / nonfacility
$177.94
Facility
Unavailable
Southern Maine →
Office / nonfacility
$190.30
Facility
Unavailable
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78601 billing questions
How does this differ from 78600?
78601 includes a vascular-flow imaging phase along with brain imaging. 78600 describes brain imaging without that flow component.
When should 78605 or 78606 be selected instead?
Use the four-or-more-view code when the study documents at least four views. 78605 is without flow imaging; 78606 includes flow imaging.
Can the professional and technical portions be billed separately?
Yes. Modifier 26 reports the physician’s interpretation, and modifier TC reports the technical service. Without either modifier, the claim represents the global service.
Is 78610 interchangeable with this code?
No. 78610 is for brain flow imaging alone; 78601 includes brain imaging in addition to the flow phase.
What documentation supports reporting 78601?
Document that the examination included both a flow phase and brain imaging, and record the number of views acquired. The report should support the interpretation billed with modifier 26.
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.
9,44378600,,Brain image < 4 views,A,,0.43,4.50,,4.50,NA,0.06,4.99,4.99,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.27,12.27,0.13
9,44478600,26,Brain image < 4 views,A,,0.43,0.15,,0.15,,0.02,0.60,0.60,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,44578600,TC,Brain image < 4 views,A,,0.00,4.35,,4.35,NA,0.04,4.39,4.39,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,12.12,12.12,0.11
9,44678601,,Brain image w/flow < 4 views,A,,0.50,5.20,,5.20,NA,0.07,5.77,5.77,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.30,12.30,0.13
9,44778601,26,Brain image w/flow < 4 views,A,,0.50,0.17,,0.17,,0.03,0.70,0.70,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,44878601,TC,Brain image w/flow < 4 views,A,,0.00,5.03,,5.03,NA,0.04,5.07,5.07,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,12.13,12.13,0.10
9,44978605,,Brain image 4+ views,A,,0.52,4.78,,4.78,NA,0.07,5.37,5.37,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,16.65,16.65,0.17