$54.71–$59.34
72120 covers bending views only. Choose 72114 when the documented study includes a complete lumbar series along with bending views.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
72120 Lumbar X-ray Medicare reimbursement rates in Missouri
Reports lumbar spine radiographs limited to bending views, typically obtained to assess motion when spinal instability is suspected. Compare 72120 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Missouri.
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 72120 in Missouri?
Missouri has 3 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 3 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$37.32–$40.44
3 of 3 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.
Where 72120 pays more and less in Missouri
3 payment localities
$37.32 to $40.44
Diagnostic radiology
About 72120: Lumbar spine bending radiographs
Reports lumbar spine radiographs limited to bending views, typically obtained to assess motion when spinal instability is suspected.
This service covers lumbar and lumbosacral X-rays taken in bending positions, commonly flexion and extension, without a routine complete series. A clinician may order these views when symptoms or examination raise concern for abnormal movement, such as possible lumbar instability. A radiologic technologist obtains the images, and a qualified practitioner interprets them. The service may be performed in an imaging center, hospital, or office with radiography equipment.
Report 72120 when the study consists of bending views only; use the documented examination and images to distinguish it from a complete lumbar series that also includes bending views. The record should support the reason for dynamic imaging and include the interpretation. CMS recognizes separately priced professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies the interpretation, and modifier TC identifies the equipment and staff portion. Billing without either modifier represents the global service, including both components.
CMS billing rules for 72120
- 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 RVU0.21 · 17%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.03 · 82%
- Malpractice RVU0.02 · 2%
42.5K
Medicare services in 2024 · #843 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.
72120 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Missouri, from the same CMS release.
$47.33–$51.33
72110 is for a broader routine lumbar radiographic series. It is not the bending-views-only service reported with 72120.
$35.88–$38.85
72100 describes a limited routine lumbar series, while 72120 is selected for bending views only.
Compare 72120 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.
3 of 3 payment localities
Metropolitan Kansas City →
Office / nonfacility
$39.97
Facility
Unavailable
Metropolitan St. Louis →
Office / nonfacility
$40.44
Facility
Unavailable
Rest Of Missouri →
Office / nonfacility
$37.32
Facility
Unavailable
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72120 billing questions
When should 72120 be reported instead of 72114?
Use 72120 for bending views only. Use 72114 when the examination includes a complete lumbar series with bending views.
Can the interpretation and imaging service be billed separately?
Yes. Modifier 26 identifies the professional interpretation, and modifier TC identifies the technical portion, including equipment and staff. Without either modifier, the claim represents the global service.
What documentation supports 72120?
The record should support the clinical reason for dynamic imaging and show that the study consisted of bending views only. The interpreting practitioner’s report should document the findings.
Is 72120 for routine lumbar views?
No. It is for bending views only; routine views as part of a broader lumbar examination point to a different radiography code based on the study performed.
Who typically performs and interprets this study?
A radiologic technologist generally obtains the images, while a qualified practitioner interprets them. The service may be performed in an imaging center, hospital, or properly equipped office.
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.
7,97972114,,X-ray exam l-s spine bending,A,,0.29,1.53,,1.53,NA,0.03,1.85,1.85,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,3.30,3.30,0.04
7,98072114,26,X-ray exam l-s spine bending,A,,0.29,0.12,,0.12,,0.02,0.43,0.43,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,98172114,TC,X-ray exam l-s spine bending,A,,0.00,1.41,,1.41,NA,0.01,1.42,1.42,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,3.18,3.18,0.02
7,98272120,,X-ray bend only l-s spine,A,,0.21,1.03,,1.03,NA,0.02,1.26,1.26,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,3.26,3.26,0.04
7,98372120,26,X-ray bend only l-s spine,A,,0.21,0.10,,0.10,,0.01,0.32,0.32,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,98472120,TC,X-ray bend only l-s spine,A,,0.00,0.93,,0.93,NA,0.01,0.94,0.94,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,3.16,3.16,0.03
7,98572125,,Ct neck spine w/o dye,A,,0.98,2.86,,2.86,NA,0.07,3.91,3.91,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,4,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,88,3.54,3.54,0.07