71550
No office rateMri chest w/o dye
71550 is for chest MRI without contrast. Choose 71551 when contrast is used.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
71551 Chest MRI Medicare reimbursement rates in Massachusetts
Reports a chest MRI performed with contrast to evaluate thoracic findings such as a mediastinal mass, chest-wall lesion, or pleural abnormality. Compare 71551 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Massachusetts.
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 71551 in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts 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
$387.99–$433.62
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.
Radiology
About 71551: Chest MRI with contrast
Reports a chest MRI performed with contrast to evaluate thoracic findings such as a mediastinal mass, chest-wall lesion, or pleural abnormality.
This service covers MRI imaging of the chest performed with contrast, often to characterize a mediastinal mass, chest-wall lesion, pleural abnormality, or other thoracic finding. A radiologist interprets the images acquired by an MRI technologist, typically in a hospital imaging department or freestanding imaging center.
Choose this code when the documented protocol uses contrast without the combined without-and-with protocol. The order, performed protocol, and interpretation should support the chest study and use of contrast. Billing without a modifier represents the global service; modifier 26 identifies the professional interpretation, while modifier TC identifies the technical service, including equipment and staff. CMS applies the diagnostic imaging multiple procedure reduction to both the professional and technical components.
CMS billing rules for 71551
- 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 RVU1.69 · 15%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.31 · 84%
- Malpractice RVU0.12 · 1%
168
Medicare services in 2024 · #4484 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.
71551 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Massachusetts, from the same CMS release.
71552
No office rateMri chest w/o & w/dye
71552 covers chest MRI performed both without and with contrast; 71551 is for the with-contrast-only protocol.
71555
No office rateMri angio chest w or w/o dye
71555 is chest MR angiography, used for vascular imaging. Code 71551 describes a chest MRI rather than an angiographic study.
Compare 71551 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
Metropolitan Boston →
Office / nonfacility
$433.62
Facility
Unavailable
Rest Of Massachusetts →
Office / nonfacility
$387.99
Facility
Unavailable
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71551 billing questions
When should this code be chosen over 71550?
Use 71551 when the chest MRI is performed with contrast. Code 71550 describes a chest MRI without contrast.
How does this differ from 71552?
71552 describes a chest MRI performed without and with contrast. Use 71551 for a with-contrast-only protocol.
Can the professional and technical services be billed separately?
Yes. Modifier 26 reports the professional interpretation, and modifier TC reports the technical service; billing without either modifier represents the global service.
How does the multiple procedure reduction affect this code?
CMS applies the diagnostic imaging multiple procedure reduction to both the professional and technical components when applicable.
What documentation supports reporting 71551?
The record should support a chest MRI, the use of contrast, and the resulting interpretation. The performed protocol distinguishes this code from a study without contrast or one performed both without and with contrast.
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.
7,92571550,,Mri chest w/o dye,A,,1.42,8.45,,8.45,NA,0.10,9.97,9.97,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,7.77,7.77,0.10
7,92671550,26,Mri chest w/o dye,A,,1.42,0.50,,0.50,,0.07,1.99,1.99,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,92771550,TC,Mri chest w/o dye,A,,0.00,7.95,,7.95,NA,0.03,7.98,7.98,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,88,7.27,7.27,0.03
7,92871551,,Mri chest w/dye,A,,1.69,9.31,,9.31,NA,0.12,11.12,11.12,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,24.50,24.50,0.17
7,92971551,26,Mri chest w/dye,A,,1.69,0.60,,0.60,,0.09,2.38,2.38,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,93071551,TC,Mri chest w/dye,A,,0.00,8.71,,8.71,NA,0.03,8.74,8.74,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,02,0,88,23.90,23.90,0.08
7,93171552,,Mri chest w/o & w/dye,A,,2.20,11.58,,11.58,NA,0.17,13.95,13.95,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,11.41,11.41,0.17