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72295 X-ray of lower spine disk

What 72295 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: X-ray of lower spine disk.

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 72295 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)0.812.800.053.66$122.25
Facility (hospital, ASC)0.812.800.053.66$122.25

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 72295 at 5 units 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: Clinical: Data. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.

Billed with 72295? These codes are bundled into it

72295 is a Column 1 code in 25 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
00630Anes px lumbar region nos0 - 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
20551Njx 1 tendon origin/insj1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
20552Njx 1/mlt trigger point 1/21 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
20553Njx 1/mlt trigger points 3/>1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
20560Ndl insj w/o njx 1 or 2 musc1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
20561Ndl insj w/o njx 3+ musc1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
36591Draw blood off venous device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36592Collect blood from picc0 - 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

72295 is bundled into these codes

72295 appears as a Column 2 code in 26 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 72295 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
0490TRegn cell tx scldr h mlt inj1Check pair
0566TAutol cell implt adps njx1Check pair
0718TAdrc ther prtl rc tear njx1Check pair
11042Dbrdmt subq tis 1st 20sqcm/<1Check pair
20527Njx nzm palmar fascial cord1Check pair
20550Njx 1 tendon sheath/ligament1Check pair
20610Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us1Check pair
20611Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us1Check pair
20704Mnl prep&insj i-artic rx dev1Check pair
22224Osteot dsc ant 1vrt sgm lmbr1Check pair
22533Arthrd lat xtrcvtry tq lmbr1Check pair
22558Arthrd ant ntrbd min dsc lum1Check pair
22586Arthrd pre-sac ntrbdy l5-s11Check pair
22857Tot disc arthrp 1ntrspc lmbr1Check pair
22862Rev rplcm rthrp 1ntrspc lmbr1Check 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.