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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01

70480 Targeted CT Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota

Reports CT imaging without contrast of the orbit, sella, posterior fossa, or ear when the study targets these specific structures. Compare 70480 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Minnesota.

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 70480 in Minnesota?

Minnesota 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

$159.50

1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.

Payment area: Minnesota

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.

Find 70480 in your payment locality →

Radiology

About 70480: CT of orbit, ear, or posterior fossa

Reports CT imaging without contrast of the orbit, sella, posterior fossa, or ear when the study targets these specific structures.

This study uses computed tomography without contrast to examine the orbit, sella, posterior fossa, or outer, middle, or inner ear. A CT technologist acquires the images, and a radiologist typically interprets them in a hospital or outpatient imaging center. Common indications include evaluating orbital or temporal bone trauma, detailed ear anatomy, and abnormalities involving the sella or posterior fossa.

Choose this code when the requested and imaged anatomy matches these targeted regions and no contrast is used. The imaging report should identify the anatomy examined and the noncontrast technique; the order and clinical record should support the study. Billing without a modifier represents the global service, including both image acquisition and interpretation. Modifier 26 reports the professional interpretation, while modifier TC reports the technical service. When the diagnostic imaging multiple-procedure reduction applies, it affects both the professional and technical components.

CMS billing rules for 70480

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 RVU1.25 · 26%
  • Practice expense (office) RVU3.40 · 72%
  • Malpractice RVU0.09 · 2%

58.7K

Medicare services in 2024 · #721 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.

70480 compared with similar codes

Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.

70481

CT imaging

Orbit, sella, posterior fossa, or ear

$181.64

Both cover targeted imaging of the orbit, sella, posterior fossa, or ear; 70481 is for a study performed with contrast.

70482

CT imaging

Without and with contrast

$211.75

Choose 70482 when the targeted examination includes imaging both without and with contrast; this code is for noncontrast imaging only.

70450

Head CT

Without contrast

$107.37

70450 is a noncontrast head and brain CT. Use this code when the examination targets the orbit, sella, posterior fossa, or ear instead.

70486

Maxillofacial CT

Without contrast

$129.71

70486 is for noncontrast CT focused on the maxillofacial region. Select this code when the documented target is the orbit, sella, posterior fossa, or ear.

Compare 70480 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

Office and facility base rates · shared scale starting at $0

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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 70480 in Minnesota.

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

7,796

Code
70480
Physician work
1.25
Practice expense
3.40
Malpractice
0.09

GPCI2026.csv

66

Locality
Minnesota
Physician work
1.000
Practice expense
1.029
Malpractice
0.296
Office / nonfacility calculation for 70480 in Minnesota
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work1.25× 1.0001.2500
Practice expense3.40× 1.0293.4986
Malpractice0.09× 0.2960.0266
Total RVUs4.7752
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Office / nonfacility rate, Minnesota$159.50

Values as parsed from CMS release RVU26D, effective 2026-10-01. The amount is rounded to the nearest cent only at the end.
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula

Office / nonfacility

Office / nonfacility calculation inputs
ComponentRVULocal GPCI
Work1.251
Practice expense3.41.029
Malpractice0.090.296

(1.25 × 1 + 3.4 × 1.029 + 0.09 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $159.50

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.

70480 billing questions

When should this code be chosen instead of a head CT?

Use this code for a targeted study of the orbit, sella, posterior fossa, or ear. A head CT is for imaging the brain and broader intracranial structures.

How does this code differ from the contrast-enhanced orbit, ear, or fossa study?

This code is for imaging performed without contrast. Use the contrast or without-and-with-contrast code when the documented examination includes those contrast techniques.

What do modifiers 26 and TC represent?

Modifier 26 identifies the professional interpretation, and modifier TC identifies the technical service, including equipment and staff. Without either modifier, the claim represents the global service.

Does the multiple-procedure imaging reduction affect only the technical portion?

No. When the diagnostic imaging multiple-procedure reduction applies, CMS applies it to both the technical and professional components.

What documentation supports reporting this targeted CT?

The order and imaging report should establish the specific region examined—such as the orbit or temporal bone—and that the study was performed without 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.

RVUs for 70480PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,796 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for MinnesotaGPCI2026.csv, line 66 (RVU26D)
Open CMS sourceHow this rate is calculatedBuild a fee sheet