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72082 X-ray exam entire spi 2/3 vw

What 72082 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: X-ray exam entire spi 2/3 vw.

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 72082 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)0.301.820.032.15$71.81
Facility (hospital, ASC)0.301.820.032.15$71.81

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 72082 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 72082? These codes are bundled into it

72082 is a Column 1 code in 17 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
36591Draw blood off venous device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36592Collect blood from picc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
72020X-ray exam of spine 1 view1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72040X-ray exam neck spine 2-3 vw1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72050X-ray exam neck spine 4/5vws1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72052X-ray exam neck spine 6/>vws1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72070X-ray exam thorac spine 2vws1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72072X-ray exam thorac spine 3vws1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72074X-ray exam thorac spine4/>vw1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72080X-ray exam thoracolmb 2/> vw1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72081X-ray exam entire spi 1 vw1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72100X-ray exam l-s spine 2/3 vws1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72110X-ray exam l-2 spine 4/>vws1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72114X-ray exam l-s spine bending1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72120X-ray bend only l-s spine1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72220X-ray exam sacrum tailbone1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
96523Irrig drug delivery device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair

72082 is bundled into these codes

72082 appears as a Column 2 code in 3 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 72082 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
0348TRsa spine exam1Check pair
72083X-ray exam entire spi 4/5 vw1Check pair
72084X-ray exam entire spi 6/> vw1Check 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.