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77790 Radiation handling

What 77790 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Radiation handling.

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 77790 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)0.000.540.020.56$18.70
Facility (hospital, ASC)0.000.540.020.56$18.70

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 77790 at 1 unit 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 77790? These codes are bundled into it

77790 is a Column 1 code in 216 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
0591THlth&wb coaching indiv 1st1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0592THlth&wb coaching indiv f-up1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0593THlth&wb coaching group1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0596TTemp fml iu vlv-pmp 1st insj0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
0597TTemp fml iu valve-pmp rplcmt0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
11920Correct skin color 6.0 cm/<0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
11921Correct skn color 6.1-20.0cm0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
16000Initial treatment of burn(s)0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
16020Dress/debrid p-thick burn s0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
16025Dress/debrid p-thick burn m0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
16030Dress/debrid p-thick burn l0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36000Place needle in vein1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
36410Vnpnxr 3yr/> phy/qhp dx/ther1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
36425Venipuncture cutdown 1 yr/>0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36591Draw blood off venous device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36592Collect blood from picc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
51701Insert bladder catheter0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
51702Insert temp bladder cath0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
51703Insert bladder cath complex0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
76873Echograp trans r pros study0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
77336Radiation physics consult1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77427Radiation tx management x51 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77431Radiation therapy management1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
90832Psytx w pt 30 minutes0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
90833Psytx w pt w e/m 30 min0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
90834Psytx w pt 45 minutes0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
90836Psytx w pt w e/m 45 min0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
90837Psytx w pt 60 minutes0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
90838Psytx w pt w e/m 60 min0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
90839Psytx crisis initial 60 min0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair

Showing 30 of 216 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.

77790 is bundled into these codes

77790 appears as a Column 2 code in 138 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 77790 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
0541TMyocardial imaging mcg0Check pair
0542TMyocardial imaging mcg i&r0Check pair
0868THi-res gastric ep mapping1Check pair
32701Thorax stereo rad targetw/tx0Check pair
77750Infuse radioactive materials0Check pair
77761Apply intrcav radiat simple0Check pair
77762Apply intrcav radiat interm0Check pair
77763Apply intrcav radiat compl0Check pair
77767Hdr rdncl skn surf brachytx0Check pair
77768Hdr rdncl skn surf brachytx0Check pair
77770Hdr rdncl ntrstl/icav brchtx0Check pair
77771Hdr rdncl ntrstl/icav brchtx0Check pair
77772Hdr rdncl ntrstl/icav brchtx0Check pair
77778Apply interstit radiat compl0Check pair
77789Apply surf ldr radionuclide0Check 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.