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70480 Ct orbit/ear/fossa w/o dye

What 70480 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Ct orbit/ear/fossa w/o dye.

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 70480 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)1.253.400.094.74$158.32
Facility (hospital, ASC)1.253.400.094.74$158.32

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.

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Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)

Medicare caps 70480 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: Nature of Service/Procedure. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.

Billed with 70480? These codes are bundled into it

70480 is a Column 1 code in 5 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 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
01922Anes n-invas img/radj ther0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36591Draw blood off venous device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36592Collect blood from picc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
76380Cat scan follow-up study1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
96523Irrig drug delivery device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair

70480 is bundled into these codes

70480 appears as a Column 2 code in 12 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 70480 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
0721TQuan ct tiss charac w/o ct1Check pair
70450Ct head/brain w/o dye1Check pair
70460Ct head/brain w/dye1Check pair
70470Ct head/brain w/o & w/dye1Check pair
70481Ct orbit/ear/fossa w/dye0Check pair
77301Radiotherapy dose plan imrt1Check pair
78811Pet image ltd area1Check pair
78812Pet image skull-thigh1Check pair
78813Pet image full body1Check pair
78814Pet image w/ct lmtd1Check pair
78815Pet image w/ct skull-thigh1Check pair
78816Pet image w/ct full body1Check 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.