70015 Contrast x-ray of brain
What 70015 is
CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Contrast x-ray of brain.
Full CPT long descriptions are licensed by the American Medical Association and are not published on this site; the short descriptor above is the one CMS prints in its own fee schedule file. See About CPT.
Medicare payment for 70015 (CY2026)
| Work RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 1.16 | 3.56 | 0.08 | 4.80 | $160.32 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 1.16 | 3.56 | 0.08 | 4.80 | $160.32 |
National rates: total RVUs x the CY2026 conversion factor of 33.4009 (non-QP), before geographic adjustment. Actual Medicare payment is 80% of the rate shown after the deductible; the patient or secondary payer owes the 20% coinsurance.
Status: Active - payable under the Physician Fee Schedule. Global period: Global concept does not apply.
Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)
Medicare caps 70015 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 3 - date of service edit (clinical): units above the MUE may pay with documentation on appeal), rationale: Anatomic Consideration. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.
Billed with 70015? These codes are bundled into it
70015 is a Column 1 code in 24 active NCCI PTP edits. When one of these Column 2 codes is reported on the same date of service, it is denied as bundled - unless the edit's modifier indicator is 1 and documentation supports a distinct service with an NCCI-associated modifier.
| Column 2 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
0708T | Id ca immntx prep & 1st njx | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
0709T | Id ca immntx each addl njx | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
36000 | Place needle in vein | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
36011 | Place catheter in vein | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
36406 | Vnpnxr<3yrs phy/qhp other vn | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
36410 | Vnpnxr 3yr/> phy/qhp dx/ther | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
36591 | Draw blood off venous device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
36592 | Collect blood from picc | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
76000 | Fluoroscopy <1 hr phys/qhp | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
77001 | Fluoroguide for vein device | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
77002 | Needle localization by xray | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
77003 | Fluoroguide for spine inject | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
96372 | Ther/proph/diag inj sc/im | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
96374 | Ther/proph/diag inj iv push | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
96375 | Tx/pro/dx inj new drug addon | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
96376 | Tx/pro/dx inj same drug adon | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
96377 | Applicaton on-body injector | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
96523 | Irrig drug delivery device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
99446 | Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 5-10 | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
99447 | Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 11-20 | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
99448 | Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 21-30 | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
99449 | Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 31/> | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
99451 | Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 5/> | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
99452 | Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr rfrl | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
Data: CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule RVU file (October release, RVU26D) and Medicare NCCI PTP practitioner edits v32.3 (2026 Q4). Verify against the official files before billing or contracting decisions.