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72255 Myelography thoracic spine

What 72255 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Myelography thoracic spine.

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 72255 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)0.892.170.063.12$104.21
Facility (hospital, ASC)0.892.170.063.12$104.21

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 72255 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 2 - date of service edit (absolute): units above the MUE never pay), rationale: Anatomic Consideration. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.

Billed with 72255? These codes are bundled into it

72255 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 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
00620Anes px thrc spine&cord nos0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
00625Anes thrc spine wo 1lng vent0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
00626Anes thrc spine w/1 lng vent0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
01937Anes drg/aspir crv/thrc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
01938Anes drg/aspir lmbr/sac0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
01939Anes nulyt agt crv/thrc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
01940Anes nulyt agt lmbr/sac0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
01941Anes neuromd/ntrvrt crv/thrc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
01942Anes neuromd/ntrvrt lmbr/sac0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36591Draw blood off venous device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36592Collect blood from picc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
62284Injection for myelogram1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
72265Myelography l-s spine0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
76000Fluoroscopy <1 hr phys/qhp1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77001Fluoroguide for vein device1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77002Needle localization by xray1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77003Fluoroguide for spine inject1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
96523Irrig drug delivery device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
99446Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 5-101 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99447Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 11-201 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99448Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 21-301 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99449Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 31/>1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99451Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 5/>1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99452Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr rfrl1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair

72255 is bundled into these codes

72255 appears as a Column 2 code in 13 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 72255 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
0566TAutol cell implt adps njx1Check pair
20610Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us1Check pair
20611Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us1Check pair
20704Mnl prep&insj i-artic rx dev1Check pair
62302Myelography lumbar injection1Check pair
62303Myelography lumbar injection1Check pair
62304Myelography lumbar injection1Check pair
62305Myelography lumbar injection1Check pair
72128Ct chest spine w/o dye1Check pair
72129Ct chest spine w/dye1Check pair
72130Ct chest spine w/o & w/dye1Check pair
72240Myelography neck spine0Check pair
72270Myelogphy 2/> spine regions0Check 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.