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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01

73221 Joint MRI Medicare reimbursement rates in Nebraska

Reports MRI imaging of an upper-extremity joint without contrast, commonly used to assess shoulder, elbow, or wrist problems. Compare 73221 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Nebraska.

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 73221 in Nebraska?

Nebraska 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

$191.05

1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.

Payment area: Nebraska

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 73221 in your payment locality →

Radiology

About 73221: Upper-extremity joint MRI without contrast

Reports MRI imaging of an upper-extremity joint without contrast, commonly used to assess shoulder, elbow, or wrist problems.

This service uses magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate an upper-extremity joint without contrast material. Common targets include the shoulder, elbow, and wrist; clinicians may request the study for suspected rotator cuff or labral injury, internal joint derangement, or unexplained joint pain. An imaging technologist acquires the images, and a radiologist or other qualified physician interprets them in an outpatient imaging center or hospital department.

Select this code when the study is directed at a joint rather than a nonjoint region of the arm, and when contrast is not used. The order and report should identify the joint and clinical reason for imaging, and the record should support the performed protocol. The global service includes the technical work and interpretation; modifier 26 reports interpretation only, and modifier TC reports the technical portion only. CMS applies the diagnostic imaging multiple procedure reduction to both components. For bilateral imaging, each side is paid separately at 100%.

CMS billing rules for 73221

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.
Bilateral procedures
Each side is paid separately at 100% when performed bilaterally.

Where the value comes from

  • Work RVU1.32 · 21%
  • Practice expense (office) RVU4.73 · 77%
  • Malpractice RVU0.09 · 1%

528.4K

Medicare services in 2024 · #224 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.

73221 compared with similar codes

Office rates for Nebraska, from the same CMS release.

73218

Extremity MRI

Non-joint, without contrast

$281.50

This code is for MRI focused on a joint. Code 73218 applies when the target is an upper-extremity region rather than a joint.

73222

Joint MRI

Upper extremity, with contrast

$290.62

Both describe MRI of an upper-extremity joint, but 73222 is used when contrast is administered.

73223

Joint MRI

Without and with contrast

$356.28

Use 73223 for joint imaging performed both without and with contrast; use this code for imaging without contrast.

Compare 73221 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 73221 in Nebraska.

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

8,174

Code
73221
Physician work
1.32
Practice expense
4.73
Malpractice
0.09

GPCI2026.csv

72

Locality
Nebraska
Physician work
1.000
Practice expense
0.923
Malpractice
0.378
Office / nonfacility calculation for 73221 in Nebraska
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work1.32× 1.0001.3200
Practice expense4.73× 0.9234.3658
Malpractice0.09× 0.3780.0340
Total RVUs5.7198
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Office / nonfacility rate, Nebraska$191.05

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
Work1.321
Practice expense4.730.923
Malpractice0.090.378

(1.32 × 1 + 4.73 × 0.923 + 0.09 × 0.378) × $33.4009 = $191.05

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.

73221 billing questions

How does this differ from MRI of the upper extremity?

Use this code when imaging is directed at an upper-extremity joint, such as the shoulder, elbow, or wrist. Code 73218 describes MRI of an upper-extremity area rather than a joint.

When should contrast MRI codes be used instead?

Use 73222 when contrast is used, or 73223 when the study is performed both without and with contrast. This code is for a study performed without contrast.

Can the professional and technical portions be billed separately?

Yes. Modifier 26 identifies the interpretation, while modifier TC identifies the equipment and staff portion; billing without either modifier represents the global service.

How is bilateral joint imaging reported?

Report each side distinctly when both upper-extremity joints are imaged. CMS pays each side separately at 100%.

What happens when multiple imaging procedures are performed?

CMS's diagnostic imaging multiple procedure reduction applies to both the technical and professional components. The reduction can therefore affect either a global claim or separately billed components.

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 73221PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 8,174 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for NebraskaGPCI2026.csv, line 72 (RVU26D)
Open CMS sourceHow this rate is calculatedBuild a fee sheet