Billing code 78709: Renal imagingMedicare rate & RVUs in Utah
Reports nuclear medicine kidney imaging that evaluates blood flow and function across multiple studies, rather than a single renal flow and function study.
Medicare pays $309.31 for 78709 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 78709 covers
This service uses a radiopharmaceutical and nuclear imaging to assess renal perfusion and function across multiple studies. A nuclear medicine technologist typically acquires the images in a hospital department or imaging center, and a physician interprets the findings. Such imaging may help evaluate renal function or suspected urinary obstruction; the documented protocol should make clear what studies were performed and what they assessed.
Select this code when the service comprises multiple kidney flow and function studies, not simply multiple images or views within one study. The report should identify the study protocols and findings supporting that scope. CMS recognizes professional and technical components: report modifier 26 for the physician’s interpretation, modifier TC for the equipment and staff, or neither modifier for the global service. CMS separately prices both modifiers.
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.
78709 in Utah
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | $309.31 | Unavailable |
How the 78709 rate is calculated
Each of 78709’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 · 78709
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.37
1.37 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense8.27
8.27 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.13
0.13 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
9.7700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$326.33
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 78709
The CMS indicators that decide how 78709 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 78709
Renal 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
78709 without 26 · national office
$326.33
Renal imaging
78709-26 · Professional component
$63.13
Pays only the interpretation and report.
78709 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 78707Renal imaging
- Use 78707 for one renal flow and function study without pharmacological intervention. This code describes multiple studies.
- 78708Renal imaging
- Use 78708 for one renal flow and function study with pharmacological intervention. This code is for multiple studies.
- 78701Kidney imaging
- 78701 focuses on kidney morphology with vascular flow; this code describes multiple studies evaluating renal flow and function.
78709 billing questions
How is this different from a single renal flow and function study?
This code is for multiple renal flow and function studies. A single study without pharmacological intervention is described by 78707, while a single study with pharmacological intervention is described by 78708.
Do multiple images or views qualify as multiple studies?
Not by themselves. The documentation should identify multiple studies or protocols, rather than merely multiple images acquired as part of one study.
How should the professional and technical portions be billed?
Use modifier 26 for the physician’s interpretation and modifier TC for the technical service. Report the code without either modifier when billing the global service.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Document the renal flow and function protocols performed, the findings for each study, and why the service involved multiple studies rather than one study with multiple images.
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
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