$203.14
78300 describes limited-area bone imaging. Choose 78315 when the examination includes the three phases, rather than selecting it solely because the images cover a small region.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
78315 Bone imaging Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Reports a three-phase nuclear bone study that evaluates blood flow, soft-tissue activity, and delayed bone uptake in a targeted clinical assessment. Compare 78315 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 78315 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
$308.67
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.
Nuclear medicine imaging
About 78315: Three-phase bone imaging study
Reports a three-phase nuclear bone study that evaluates blood flow, soft-tissue activity, and delayed bone uptake in a targeted clinical assessment.
This study captures bone-related activity in three stages: blood flow, blood-pool or soft-tissue activity, and delayed skeletal uptake. Nuclear medicine technologists acquire the images, and a nuclear medicine physician or radiologist interprets them. Clinicians commonly request the study when assessing suspected osteomyelitis, a painful joint prosthesis, stress injury, or another focal bone or joint concern where the phases may help characterize the process.
Report 78315 when the performed protocol includes all three phases; a scan of several areas or a whole-body survey alone does not establish that the three-phase service was performed. The record should identify the clinical question and imaged region and support that the three phases were acquired and interpreted. This diagnostic test has separately priced professional and technical components: report modifier 26 for interpretation, modifier TC for equipment and staff, or neither modifier when billing the global service.
CMS billing rules for 78315
- 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 RVU0.99 · 11%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.99 · 88%
- Malpractice RVU0.10 · 1%
31.1K
Medicare services in 2024 · #960 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.
78315 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
$246.88
78305 describes imaging of multiple areas. 78315 is distinguished by its three-phase acquisition, not by the number of sites.
$263.94
78306 describes a whole-body bone study. 78315 identifies a three-phase protocol and is not selected simply because delayed images survey the skeleton.
Compare 78315 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
Minnesota →
Office / nonfacility
$308.67
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 78315 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
9,328
- Code
- 78315
- Physician work
- 0.99
- Practice expense
- 7.99
- Malpractice
- 0.10
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.99 | × 1.000 | 0.9900 |
| Practice expense | 7.99 | × 1.029 | 8.2217 |
| Malpractice | 0.10 | × 0.296 | 0.0296 |
| Total RVUs | 9.2413 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Minnesota$308.67
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.99 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 7.99 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 0.1 | 0.296 |
(0.99 × 1 + 7.99 × 1.029 + 0.1 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $308.67
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.
78315 billing questions
When should 78315 be selected instead of a limited-area bone scan?
Select 78315 when the examination includes the blood-flow, blood-pool, and delayed phases. A limited-area scan describes imaging extent, not a three-phase protocol.
Which modifier identifies the interpretation?
Use modifier 26 for the professional component, which represents interpretation. Modifier TC identifies the technical component; billing without either modifier represents the global service.
What documentation supports 78315?
Document the clinical reason, the region examined, acquisition of all three phases, and the interpreting clinician’s findings.
Does imaging more than one region by itself support 78315?
No. The defining feature is the three-phase protocol, not the number of areas imaged.
Can 78315 be reported for delayed images alone?
No. The performed examination must include the three phases; delayed skeletal images alone do not describe this service.
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.
9,32578306,,Bone imaging whole body,A,,0.84,6.84,,6.84,NA,0.08,7.76,7.76,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,12.43,12.43,0.11
9,32678306,26,Bone imaging whole body,A,,0.84,0.28,,0.28,,0.04,1.16,1.16,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,32778306,TC,Bone imaging whole body,A,,0.00,6.56,,6.56,NA,0.04,6.60,6.60,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,88,12.15,12.15,0.07
9,32878315,,Bone imaging 3 phase,A,,0.99,7.99,,7.99,NA,0.10,9.08,9.08,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.49,12.49,0.13
9,32978315,26,Bone imaging 3 phase,A,,0.99,0.34,,0.34,,0.05,1.38,1.38,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,33078315,TC,Bone imaging 3 phase,A,,0.00,7.65,,7.65,NA,0.05,7.70,7.70,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,12.15,12.15,0.08
9,33178350,,Bone mineral single photon,N,+,0.21,0.76,,0.76,NA,0.02,0.99,0.99,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6314212,MA,99,REST OF MASSACHUSETTS,1.016,1.053,0.797
6408202,MI,01,DETROIT,1.000,0.965,1.686
6508202,MI,99,REST OF MICHIGAN,1.000,0.913,1.129
6606202,MN,00,MINNESOTA,1.000,1.029,0.296
6707302,MS,00,MISSISSIPPI,1.000,0.861,0.739
6805302,MO,02,METROPOLITAN KANSAS CITY,1.000,0.939,0.977
6905302,MO,01,METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.952,1.002