`73580` Contrast x-ray of knee joint

What 73580 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Contrast x-ray of knee joint.

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 73580 (CY2026)

	Work RVU	Practice expense RVU	Malpractice RVU	Total	Medicare rate
Non-facility (office)	0.58	2.85	0.08	3.51	$117.24
Facility (hospital, ASC)	0.58	2.85	0.08	3.51	$117.24

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.

Adjust for a Medicare locality:

Status: Active - payable under the Physician Fee Schedule. Global period: Global concept does not apply.

Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)

Medicare caps 73580 at 2 units 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 73580? These codes are bundled into it

73580 is a Column 1 code in 15 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
`01380`	Anes all clsd px knee joint	0 - no modifier bypass	Check pair
`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
`73560`	X-ray exam of knee 1 or 2	1 - modifier may 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
`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

73580 is bundled into these codes

73580 appears as a Column 2 code in 2 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 73580 is the code that denies.

Column 1 code	Short description	Modifier indicator
`20696`	App mltpln uni xtrnl fix 1st	1	Check pair
`20697`	App mltpln uni xtrnl fix xch	1	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.