70554 Fmri brain by tech
What 70554 is
CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Fmri brain by tech.
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 70554 (CY2026)
| Work RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 2.06 | 9.08 | 0.17 | 11.31 | $377.76 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 2.06 | 9.08 | 0.17 | 11.31 | $377.76 |
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 70554 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 70554? These codes are bundled into it
70554 is a Column 1 code in 10 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
01922 | Anes n-invas img/radj ther | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
0889T | Prsnlz trgt dvl arhfcmrigtbs | 0 - no modifier 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 |
70551 | Mri brain stem w/o dye | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
70557 | Mri brain w/o dye | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
70558 | Mri brain w/dye | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
70559 | Mri brain w/o & w/dye | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
96020 | Functional brain mapping | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
96523 | Irrig drug delivery device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
70554 is bundled into these codes
70554 appears as a Column 2 code in 3 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 70554 is the code that denies.
| Column 1 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
70552 | Mri brain stem w/dye | 1 | Check pair |
70553 | Mri brain stem w/o & w/dye | 1 | Check pair |
70555 | Fmri brain by phys/psych | 1 | 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.