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 RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 0.89 | 2.17 | 0.06 | 3.12 | $104.21 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 0.89 | 2.17 | 0.06 | 3.12 | $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.
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 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
00620 | Anes px thrc spine&cord nos | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
00625 | Anes thrc spine wo 1lng vent | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
00626 | Anes thrc spine w/1 lng vent | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
01937 | Anes drg/aspir crv/thrc | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
01938 | Anes drg/aspir lmbr/sac | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
01939 | Anes nulyt agt crv/thrc | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
01940 | Anes nulyt agt lmbr/sac | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
01941 | Anes neuromd/ntrvrt crv/thrc | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
01942 | Anes neuromd/ntrvrt lmbr/sac | 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 |
62284 | Injection for myelogram | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
72265 | Myelography l-s spine | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
76000 | Fluoroscopy <1 hr phys/qhp | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
77001 | Fluoroguide for vein device | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
77002 | Needle localization by xray | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
77003 | Fluoroguide for spine inject | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
96523 | Irrig drug delivery device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
99446 | Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 5-10 | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
99447 | Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 11-20 | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
99448 | Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 21-30 | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
99449 | Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 31/> | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
99451 | Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 5/> | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
99452 | Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr rfrl | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check 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 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
0566T | Autol cell implt adps njx | 1 | Check pair |
20610 | Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us | 1 | Check pair |
20611 | Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us | 1 | Check pair |
20704 | Mnl prep&insj i-artic rx dev | 1 | Check pair |
62302 | Myelography lumbar injection | 1 | Check pair |
62303 | Myelography lumbar injection | 1 | Check pair |
62304 | Myelography lumbar injection | 1 | Check pair |
62305 | Myelography lumbar injection | 1 | Check pair |
72128 | Ct chest spine w/o dye | 1 | Check pair |
72129 | Ct chest spine w/dye | 1 | Check pair |
72130 | Ct chest spine w/o & w/dye | 1 | Check pair |
72240 | Myelography neck spine | 0 | Check pair |
72270 | Myelogphy 2/> spine regions | 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.