71271 Ct thorax lung cancer scr c-
What 71271 is
CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Ct thorax lung cancer scr c-.
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 71271 (CY2026)
| Work RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 1.05 | 2.95 | 0.08 | 4.08 | $136.28 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 1.05 | 2.95 | 0.08 | 4.08 | $136.28 |
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 71271 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 2 - date of service edit (absolute): units above the MUE never pay), rationale: CMS Policy. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.
Billed with 71271? These codes are bundled into it
71271 is a Column 1 code in 11 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 |
36591 | Draw blood off venous device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
36592 | Collect blood from picc | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
71270 | Ct thorax dx c-/c+ | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
75571 | Ct hrt w/o dye w/ca test | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
76380 | Cat scan follow-up study | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
78803 | Rp loclzj tum spect 1 area | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
78830 | Rp loclzj tum spect w/ct 1 | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
78831 | Rp loclzj tum spect 2 areas | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
78832 | Rp loclzj tum spect w/ct 2 | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
96523 | Irrig drug delivery device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
71271 is bundled into these codes
71271 appears as a Column 2 code in 29 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 71271 is the code that denies.
| Column 1 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
0406U | 1 | Check pair | |
0414U | 1 | Check pair | |
0633T | Ct breast w/3d uni c- | 0 | Check pair |
0634T | Ct breast w/3d uni c+ | 0 | Check pair |
0635T | Ct breast w/3d uni c-/c+ | 0 | Check pair |
0636T | Ct breast w/3d bi c- | 0 | Check pair |
0637T | Ct breast w/3d bi c+ | 0 | Check pair |
0638T | Ct breast w/3d bi c-/c+ | 0 | Check pair |
0691T | Auto alys xst ct std vrt fx | 0 | Check pair |
0721T | Quan ct tiss charac w/o ct | 1 | Check pair |
0877T | Augmnt alys ch ct ild w/o ct | 1 | Check pair |
0878T | Augmnt alys ch ct ild w/ct | 1 | Check pair |
0879T | Augmnt alys ch ct ild prep | 1 | Check pair |
0880T | Augmnt alys ch ct ild i&r | 1 | Check pair |
71250 | Ct thorax dx c- | 0 | 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.