77073 Bone length studies
What 77073 is
CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Bone length studies.
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 77073 (CY2026)
| Work RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 0.25 | 1.11 | 0.03 | 1.39 | $46.43 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 0.25 | 1.11 | 0.03 | 1.39 | $46.43 |
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 77073 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 2 - date of service edit (absolute): units above the MUE never pay), rationale: Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.
Billed with 77073? These codes are bundled into it
77073 is a Column 1 code in 20 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 |
72170 | X-ray exam of pelvis | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73501 | X-ray exam hip uni 1 view | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73502 | X-ray exam hip uni 2-3 views | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73503 | X-ray exam hip uni 4/> views | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73521 | X-ray exam hips bi 2 views | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73522 | X-ray exam hips bi 3-4 views | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73523 | X-ray exam hips bi 5/> views | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73551 | X-ray exam of femur 1 | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73552 | X-ray exam of femur 2/> | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73560 | X-ray exam of knee 1 or 2 | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73562 | X-ray exam of knee 3 | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73564 | X-ray exam knee 4 or more | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73565 | X-ray exam of knees | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73590 | X-ray exam of lower leg | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73592 | X-ray exam of leg infant | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73600 | X-ray exam of ankle | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
73610 | X-ray exam of ankle | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
96523 | Irrig drug delivery device | 0 - no modifier bypass | 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.