$303.54
Use 70015 for contrast cisternography; use 78630 when the study uses a radiopharmaceutical.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
70015 Cisternography Medicare reimbursement rates in Rhode Island
Radiologists report contrast cisternography for imaging cerebrospinal fluid pathways, including evaluation of a suspected leak after intrathecal contrast administration. Compare 70015 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Rhode Island.
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 70015 in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island 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
$164.70
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Rhode Island
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.
Diagnostic radiology
About 70015: Contrast cisternography interpretation
Radiologists report contrast cisternography for imaging cerebrospinal fluid pathways, including evaluation of a suspected leak after intrathecal contrast administration.
This service covers radiological supervision and interpretation of contrast cisternography, an imaging study that follows intrathecal contrast through cerebrospinal fluid spaces. A radiologist interprets the images to assess CSF pathways, including when a leak is suspected. The study is typically performed in a hospital or imaging department after contrast has been introduced into the spinal fluid; the clinician administering it may be different from the interpreting radiologist.
Select this code for the contrast cisternography study, not simply for a spinal puncture or a radionuclide CSF-flow study. The report should identify the study and document the radiologist’s interpretation and findings. CMS recognizes separately priced professional and technical components: report modifier 26 for the interpretation, modifier TC for the equipment and staff, or neither modifier when billing the global service. The technical service includes the imaging resources and personnel; the professional service is the interpretation.
CMS billing rules for 70015
- 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 RVU1.16 · 24%
- Practice expense (office) RVU3.56 · 74%
- Malpractice RVU0.08 · 2%
15
Medicare services in 2024 · #6084 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.
70015 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Rhode Island, from the same CMS release.
$168.52
62270 represents a diagnostic spinal puncture without imaging guidance, not the radiologist’s cisternography interpretation.
$220.91
62328 represents a diagnostic lumbar puncture performed with imaging guidance; 70015 represents the contrast cisternography imaging service and interpretation.
Compare 70015 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
Rhode Island →
Office / nonfacility
$164.70
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 70015 in Rhode Island.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
7,679
- Code
- 70015
- Physician work
- 1.16
- Practice expense
- 3.56
- Malpractice
- 0.08
GPCI2026.csv
92
- Locality
- Rhode Island
- Physician work
- 1.019
- Practice expense
- 1.033
- Malpractice
- 0.892
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 1.16 | × 1.019 | 1.1820 |
| Practice expense | 3.56 | × 1.033 | 3.6775 |
| Malpractice | 0.08 | × 0.892 | 0.0714 |
| Total RVUs | 4.9309 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Rhode Island$164.70
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.16 | 1.019 |
| Practice expense | 3.56 | 1.033 |
| Malpractice | 0.08 | 0.892 |
(1.16 × 1.019 + 3.56 × 1.033 + 0.08 × 0.892) × $33.4009 = $164.70
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.
70015 billing questions
How is this different from radionuclide cisternography?
This code is for contrast cisternography. Code 78630 is used for cisternography performed with a radiopharmaceutical.
Which modifier identifies the radiologist’s interpretation?
Use modifier 26 for the professional component, which represents the interpretation.
When is modifier TC appropriate?
Use TC for the technical component, representing the equipment and staff. Bill without 26 or TC for the global service.
Can the spinal puncture be reported separately?
A separately performed diagnostic lumbar puncture to administer the intrathecal contrast may be reported under the applicable puncture code. The cisternography code represents the imaging service and interpretation.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Document that contrast cisternography was performed and include the radiologist’s interpretation of the images and relevant findings, such as assessment of CSF pathways or a suspected leak.
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.
7,67669979,,Unlisted px temporal bone,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,YYY,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,67769990,,Microsurgery add-on,R,,3.37,1.17,NA,1.17,,1.39,5.93,5.93,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,67870010,,Contrast x-ray of brain,A,,1.16,0.21,NA,0.21,,0.11,1.48,1.48,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,67970015,,Contrast x-ray of brain,A,,1.16,3.56,,3.56,NA,0.08,4.80,4.80,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,24.31,24.31,0.15
7,68070015,26,Contrast x-ray of brain,A,,1.16,0.41,,0.41,,0.07,1.64,1.64,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,68170015,TC,Contrast x-ray of brain,A,,0.00,3.15,,3.15,NA,0.01,3.16,3.16,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,03,0,99,23.90,23.90,0.08
7,68270030,,X-ray eye for foreign body,A,,0.18,0.78,,0.78,NA,0.02,0.98,0.98,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,3,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,2.69,2.69,0.05
8912502,PA,01,METROPOLITAN PHILADELPHIA,1.018,1.041,1.193
9012502,PA,99,REST OF PENNSYLVANIA,1.000,0.918,0.945
9109202,PR,20,PUERTO RICO,1.000,1.011,0.985
9214412,RI,01,RHODE ISLAND,1.019,1.033,0.892
9311202,SC,01,SOUTH CAROLINA,1.000,0.924,0.850
9403402,SD,02,SOUTH DAKOTA**,1.000,1.000,0.336
9510312,TN,35,TENNESSEE,1.000,0.909,0.537