76529 Echo exam of eye
What 76529 is
CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Echo exam of eye.
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 76529 (CY2026)
| Work RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 0.56 | 2.02 | 0.03 | 2.61 | $87.18 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 0.56 | 2.02 | 0.03 | 2.61 | $87.18 |
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 76529 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 76529? These codes are bundled into it
76529 is a Column 1 code in 12 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
36591 | Draw blood off venous device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
36592 | Collect blood from picc | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
76942 | Echo guide for biopsy | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
76983 | Use ea addl target lesion | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
76998 | Us guide intraop | 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 |
76529 is bundled into these codes
76529 appears as a Column 2 code in 7 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 76529 is the code that denies.
| Column 1 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
76512 | Oph us dx b-scan | 1 | Check pair |
76513 | Oph us dx ant sgm us uni/bi | 1 | Check pair |
76978 | Us trgt dyn mbubb 1st les | 1 | Check pair |
76979 | Us trgt dyn mbubb ea addl | 1 | Check pair |
76981 | Use parenchyma | 1 | Check pair |
76982 | Use 1st target lesion | 1 | Check pair |
92137 | Cptrz oph img pst sg rta oct | 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.