$288.97–$320.02
78290 is for intestine imaging. Choose 78291 when the diagnostic target is flow through an existing peritoneovenous shunt.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
78291 Shunt imaging Medicare reimbursement rates in Oregon
Nuclear medicine imaging tracks peritoneal tracer passage through an existing peritoneovenous shunt when impaired flow or shunt patency is in question. Compare 78291 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Oregon.
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 78291 in Oregon?
Oregon 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
$231.11–$254.81
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.
Nuclear medicine
About 78291: Peritoneovenous shunt patency study
Nuclear medicine imaging tracks peritoneal tracer passage through an existing peritoneovenous shunt when impaired flow or shunt patency is in question.
This nuclear medicine study evaluates whether an existing peritoneovenous shunt is open and conveying peritoneal fluid into the venous circulation. A radiotracer is introduced into the peritoneal cavity, and imaging tracks its passage through the shunt. The study may be ordered for a patient with ascites when shunt flow is questioned. A nuclear medicine technologist performs image acquisition, and a nuclear medicine physician interprets the findings, typically in a hospital imaging department.
Report 78291 for the shunt-patency study, supported by documentation of the indication, the tracer administration and imaging performed, and the interpretation. Submit modifier 26 for the physician interpretation or modifier TC for the equipment and staff portion when billing those components separately. Without either modifier, the code represents the global service. The CMS facts supplied for this code identify separately priced professional and technical components.
CMS billing rules for 78291
- 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 RVU0.86 · 12%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.02 · 86%
- Malpractice RVU0.09 · 1%
76
Medicare services in 2024 · #5100 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.
78291 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Oregon, from the same CMS release.
78299
No office rateUnlisted gi px dx nuc med
78299 is an unlisted GI diagnostic nuclear medicine code. 78291 is the specific code for peritoneovenous shunt patency imaging.
Compare 78291 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
Portland →
Office / nonfacility
$254.81
Facility
Unavailable
Rest Of Oregon →
Office / nonfacility
$231.11
Facility
Unavailable
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78291 billing questions
When should 78291 be selected instead of 78290?
Use 78291 when imaging evaluates flow through an existing peritoneovenous shunt. Code 78290 describes intestine imaging, not shunt patency.
Which modifiers identify the separate components?
Modifier 26 identifies the professional interpretation, and modifier TC identifies the technical service. Billing without a component modifier represents the global service.
What documentation supports reporting 78291?
Document the clinical concern about the existing shunt, tracer administration, imaging performed, and the physician's interpretation of tracer passage.
Can this code be reported for shunt placement?
No. 78291 describes imaging to assess shunt patency, not the procedure to place a peritoneovenous shunt.
Should 78299 be used for a peritoneovenous shunt patency study?
78291 specifically describes this study. 78299 is an unlisted GI diagnostic nuclear medicine code, not the code for a defined shunt-patency examination.
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.
9,31078290,,Intestine imaging,A,,0.66,7.96,,7.96,NA,0.09,8.71,8.71,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.38,12.38,0.12
9,31178290,26,Intestine imaging,A,,0.66,0.23,,0.23,,0.04,0.93,0.93,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,31278290,TC,Intestine imaging,A,,0.00,7.73,,7.73,NA,0.05,7.78,7.78,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,12.15,12.15,0.08
9,31378291,,Pertl-ven shunt patency test,A,,0.86,6.02,,6.02,NA,0.09,6.97,6.97,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.45,12.45,0.14
9,31478291,26,Pertl-ven shunt patency test,A,,0.86,0.31,,0.31,,0.05,1.22,1.22,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,31578291,TC,Pertl-ven shunt patency test,A,,0.00,5.71,,5.71,NA,0.04,5.75,5.75,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,12.14,12.14,0.09
9,31678299,,Unlisted gi px dx nuc med,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,NA,0.00,0.00,0.00,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00