Billing code 78606: Brain imagingMedicare rate & RVUs in Utah
Reports a nuclear medicine brain study that includes blood-flow imaging and four or more views for assessment of cerebral perfusion.
Medicare pays $271.77 for 78606 in the office in Utah (Utah). Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 78606 covers
This service combines imaging of blood flow to the brain with multiple brain images. A radiopharmaceutical is administered and imaging is acquired to show the flow phase and the brain in four or more views. Nuclear medicine physicians and radiologists commonly interpret these studies in hospital or imaging-center settings when the requested examination calls for both flow information and multi-view brain imaging.
Select this code when the documented study includes flow imaging and at least four views; the number of views and the flow component distinguish it from nearby brain-scan codes. The report should support the performed phases and views, and the interpretation should address the findings. Medicare recognizes professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies the interpretation, modifier TC identifies equipment and staff, and an unmodified claim represents the global service. The CMS facts identify both modifiers as separately priced.
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.
78606 in Utah
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | $271.77 | Unavailable |
How the 78606 rate is calculated
Each of 78606’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 78606
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.62Practice expense 7.92Malpractice 0.08
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 78606
The CMS indicators that decide how 78606 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 78606
Brain imaging
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 1 | Diagnostic test with separate professional (26) and technical (TC) components. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 26 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
78606 without 26 · national office
$287.92
Brain imaging
78606-26 · Professional component
$28.72
Pays only the interpretation and report.
78606 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
78606 vs 78605 vs 78601 vs 78610 vs 78608: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 78605Brain imaging
- Choose 78606 when the study includes flow imaging as well as four or more views. Choose 78605 for four or more views without flow imaging.
- 78601Brain imaging
- Both include flow imaging, but 78601 is for fewer than four views; 78606 is for four or more.
- 78610Brain flow scan
- 78610 covers flow imaging alone. Use 78606 when the study also acquires four or more brain views.
- 78608Brain imaging (pet)
- 78608 describes brain imaging by PET. 78606 is the multi-view brain study that includes flow imaging.
78606 billing questions
How does 78606 differ from 78605?
78606 includes flow imaging as well as four or more brain views. 78605 describes the four-or-more-view study without the flow component.
When is 78601 a better fit?
Use 78601 when the brain study includes flow imaging but has fewer than four views. The documented view count separates it from 78606.
What do modifiers 26 and TC represent?
Modifier 26 reports the professional interpretation, while TC reports the technical service, including equipment and staff. Without either modifier, the claim represents the global service.
What should the report document to support 78606?
The record should show that flow imaging was performed and document four or more brain views. The interpretation should correspond to the acquired study.
Can 78610 be reported instead?
78610 is for brain flow imaging alone. Choose 78606 when the examination also includes four or more brain views.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
Fee sheets
Put 78606 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →