$186.49
Choose 78016 for whole-body metastasis imaging and 78015 when imaging is limited to an area.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
78016 Thyroid metastasis imaging Medicare reimbursement rates in Tennessee
Reports whole-body nuclear imaging to evaluate thyroid carcinoma for metastatic disease, such as iodine-avid spread beyond the thyroid bed. Compare 78016 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 78016 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
$230.18
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 78016: Whole-body thyroid cancer metastasis imaging
Reports whole-body nuclear imaging to evaluate thyroid carcinoma for metastatic disease, such as iodine-avid spread beyond the thyroid bed.
This study images the body for metastatic thyroid carcinoma after administration of a thyroid-seeking radiopharmaceutical. It is commonly used in the evaluation or follow-up of differentiated thyroid cancer, including searches for iodine-avid disease outside the thyroid bed. Nuclear medicine staff perform the imaging, and a nuclear medicine physician or radiologist interprets the findings. The whole-body extent distinguishes this service from limited-area thyroid cancer metastasis imaging.
Report 78016 when the documented study covers the whole body for metastatic thyroid carcinoma. The record should identify the clinical indication and support the extent and interpretation of the imaging performed. CMS recognizes separately priced professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies the interpretation, modifier TC identifies the equipment-and-staff service, and billing without either modifier represents the global service. The professional and technical portions may be billed separately by the respective providers when applicable.
CMS billing rules for 78016
- 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 RVU0.80 · 11%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.66 · 88%
- Malpractice RVU0.07 · 1%
16
Medicare services in 2024 · #6052 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.
78016 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Tennessee, from the same CMS release.
$251.92
78018 is the related whole-body study with additional views; 78016 describes whole-body imaging without that distinction.
$73.25
78020 describes quantitative uptake assessment for thyroid carcinoma metastases, not whole-body imaging.
$192.20
78014 is thyroid imaging with uptake for thyroid evaluation; 78016 is whole-body imaging directed at thyroid carcinoma metastases.
Compare 78016 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
$230.18
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 78016 in Tennessee.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
9,191
- Code
- 78016
- Physician work
- 0.80
- Practice expense
- 6.66
- Malpractice
- 0.07
GPCI2026.csv
95
- Locality
- Tennessee
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.909
- Malpractice
- 0.537
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.80 | × 1.000 | 0.8000 |
| Practice expense | 6.66 | × 0.909 | 6.0539 |
| Malpractice | 0.07 | × 0.537 | 0.0376 |
| Total RVUs | 6.8915 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Tennessee$230.18
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.8 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 6.66 | 0.909 |
| Malpractice | 0.07 | 0.537 |
(0.8 × 1 + 6.66 × 0.909 + 0.07 × 0.537) × $33.4009 = $230.18
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.
78016 billing questions
How does 78016 differ from 78015?
78016 is for whole-body imaging to evaluate thyroid carcinoma metastases. 78015 is used when the metastasis imaging is limited to an area.
When should modifier 26 or TC be used?
Use modifier 26 for the professional interpretation and modifier TC for the technical service. Without either modifier, the claim represents the global service.
What documentation supports 78016?
Document the thyroid carcinoma indication, the whole-body imaging performed, and the interpreting clinician’s findings. The record should support that the study evaluated metastatic disease.
Is 78016 the same as thyroid uptake measurement?
No. 78016 describes whole-body imaging for thyroid carcinoma metastases; 78012 is for thyroid uptake measurement. Select the code for the service actually performed.
How does 78016 differ from 78018?
Both are in the thyroid carcinoma metastasis imaging family. 78018 describes whole-body imaging with additional views, while 78016 represents whole-body imaging.
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.
9,18878015,,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
9,19278016,26,Thyroid met imaging/studies,A,,0.80,0.15,,0.15,,0.01,0.96,0.96,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9,19378016,TC,Thyroid met imaging/studies,A,,0.00,6.51,,6.51,NA,0.06,6.57,6.57,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,01,0,99,12.12,12.12,0.11
9,19478018,,Thyroid met imaging body,A,,0.84,7.32,,7.32,NA,0.09,8.25,8.25,1,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,16.75,16.75,0.16
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