$230.18
Choose 78016 when the examination covers the whole body; 78015 is for a defined, limited region such as the neck and chest.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
78015 Thyroid metastasis imaging Medicare reimbursement rates in Tennessee
Nuclear medicine imaging of a focused body region evaluates residual or metastatic thyroid cancer, commonly in the neck and chest after thyroidectomy. Compare 78015 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Tennessee.
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 78015 in Tennessee?
Tennessee 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
$186.49
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Tennessee
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
About 78015: Limited-area thyroid cancer metastasis imaging
Nuclear medicine imaging of a focused body region evaluates residual or metastatic thyroid cancer, commonly in the neck and chest after thyroidectomy.
This study images a focused region for iodine-avid thyroid cancer after thyroidectomy, such as the neck and chest when evaluating residual thyroid tissue or suspected spread. A nuclear medicine technologist acquires the images, and a nuclear medicine physician or radiologist interprets them. The service is generally performed in a hospital or outpatient nuclear medicine department after administration of the imaging radiopharmaceutical.
Report 78015 when the examination is limited to a defined area rather than covering the whole body. The order and report should support the thyroid cancer indication, the region imaged, and the findings. The code represents a diagnostic test with separately identifiable professional and technical components: report modifier 26 for interpretation, modifier TC for equipment and staff, or neither modifier for the global service.
CMS billing rules for 78015
- 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 RVU0.65 · 11%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.38 · 88%
- Malpractice RVU0.08 · 1%
43
Medicare services in 2024 · #5458 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.
78015 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Tennessee, from the same CMS release.
$251.92
78018 is the whole-body thyroid cancer metastasis study with SPECT. 78015 is limited-area imaging.
$72.95
78012 measures thyroid uptake; 78015 produces images of a limited region to evaluate thyroid cancer spread or residual disease.
$192.20
78014 images the thyroid gland itself, including vascular flow when performed. 78015 evaluates thyroid cancer in a limited body region.
Compare 78015 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
Tennessee →
Office / nonfacility
$186.49
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 78015 in Tennessee.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
9,188
- Code
- 78015
- Physician work
- 0.65
- Practice expense
- 5.38
- Malpractice
- 0.08
GPCI2026.csv
95
- Locality
- Tennessee
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.909
- Malpractice
- 0.537
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.65 | × 1.000 | 0.6500 |
| Practice expense | 5.38 | × 0.909 | 4.8904 |
| Malpractice | 0.08 | × 0.537 | 0.0430 |
| Total RVUs | 5.5834 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Tennessee$186.49
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.65 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 5.38 | 0.909 |
| Malpractice | 0.08 | 0.537 |
(0.65 × 1 + 5.38 × 0.909 + 0.08 × 0.537) × $33.4009 = $186.49
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.
78015 billing questions
When should 78015 be chosen instead of 78016?
Use 78015 for imaging confined to a limited region, such as the neck and chest. Use 78016 when the examination covers the whole body.
How does 78015 differ from 78018?
78015 describes limited-area imaging. 78018 is the whole-body study performed with SPECT.
Which modifier identifies the interpretation?
Append modifier 26 when billing only the professional interpretation. Modifier TC identifies the technical service, while billing without either modifier represents the global service.
Is 78015 the same as a thyroid uptake measurement?
No. 78015 reports imaging for thyroid cancer in a limited region; 78012 is a thyroid uptake measurement rather than this metastasis-imaging service.
What documentation supports 78015?
The record should identify the thyroid cancer indication, the body region examined, and the imaging findings. The report should make clear that the examination was limited in coverage rather than whole body.
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.
9,18578014,,Thyroid imaging w/blood flow,A,,0.49,5.75,,5.75,NA,0.07,6.31,6.31,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.30,12.30,0.12
9,18678014,26,Thyroid imaging w/blood flow,A,,0.49,0.16,,0.16,,0.03,0.68,0.68,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,18778014,TC,Thyroid imaging w/blood flow,A,,0.00,5.59,,5.59,NA,0.04,5.63,5.63,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.14,12.14,0.09
9,18878015,,Thyroid met imaging,A,,0.65,5.38,,5.38,NA,0.08,6.11,6.11,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.37,12.37,0.14
9,18978015,26,Thyroid met imaging,A,,0.65,0.24,,0.24,,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
9,19078015,TC,Thyroid met imaging,A,,0.00,5.14,,5.14,NA,0.04,5.18,5.18,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,12.13,12.13,0.10
9,19178016,,Thyroid met imaging/studies,A,,0.80,6.66,,6.66,NA,0.07,7.53,7.53,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,12.27,12.27,0.12
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
9604412,TX,31,AUSTIN,1.002,1.058,0.886
9704412,TX,20,BEAUMONT,1.000,0.910,0.929
9804412,TX,09,BRAZORIA,1.008,0.991,0.780