Billing code 73502: Hip X-rayMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Plain radiographs of one hip in two or three views, including the pelvis when imaged, are obtained for hip pain, suspected fracture, or arthritis.
Medicare pays $50.87–$58.32 for 73502 in the office in Washington, from Rest Of Washington to Seattle (King Cnty). 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 73502 covers
This study captures two or three radiographic projections of a single hip. A common examination includes an AP view, sometimes obtained as an AP pelvis, and a lateral view such as a frog-leg or cross-table lateral. It may be ordered for hip or groin pain, suspected femoral neck or intertrochanteric fracture after a fall, osteoarthritis, avascular necrosis, or assessment after hip replacement. Radiologic technologists acquire the images in orthopedic offices, urgent care, imaging centers, and hospitals. Radiologists, orthopedists, or other treating physicians interpret them.
Count the distinct views in the unilateral hip examination, including an AP pelvis when it is part of that examination. Do not separately bill that included pelvis view. Documentation should identify the side, views, and findings in a signed interpretation. This diagnostic test has professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies interpretation only, and modifier TC identifies equipment and staff services when a technical component is billed under the physician fee schedule. An office that both acquires and interprets the images bills the global service without either component modifier.
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.
Where 73502 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | $50.87 | Unavailable |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | $58.32 | Unavailable |
How the 73502 rate is calculated
Each of 73502’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 · 73502
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.21
0.21 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.23
1.23 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.02
0.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
1.4600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$48.77
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 73502
The CMS indicators that decide how 73502 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 73502
Hip X-ray
| 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
73502 without 26 · national office
$48.77
Hip X-ray
73502-26 · Professional component
$10.69
Pays only the interpretation and report.
73502 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 73521Hip X-ray
- 73502 covers one hip. When both hips are imaged, select a bilateral hip code from 73521-73523 according to the total number of views.
- 72170Pelvis X-ray
- 72170 covers pelvis imaging alone. An AP pelvis obtained as part of a two- or three-view unilateral hip examination is included in 73502.
- 73503Hip X-ray
- Four or more distinct views of one hip belong under 73503; two or three belong under 73502.
73502 billing questions
Can an AP pelvis film be billed separately when it is taken with two hip views?
Not when it is part of the unilateral hip examination. Count that AP pelvis toward the examination's view total rather than adding a pelvis code.
What if both hips are imaged at the same session?
Choose the bilateral hip series, 73521-73523, according to the total number of views obtained rather than reporting a unilateral examination for each hip.
How do I choose between 73501, 73502, and 73503?
Count the distinct projections in the unilateral hip examination. One view is 73501, two or three views is 73502, and four or more views is 73503. Repeat exposures of the same projection do not add views.
When is modifier 26 versus TC used?
A physician billing only for interpretation uses modifier 26. The entity billing only for equipment and staff services under the physician fee schedule uses TC. An office providing both bills the global code without either modifier.
What documentation supports this code?
Record the side imaged, the number and type of views, the clinical indication, and a signed written interpretation with findings. A note that merely mentions the X-ray does not document its interpretation.
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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