96931 Rcm img acquisj&i&r 1st les
What 96931 is
CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Rcm img acquisj&i&r 1st les.
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 96931 (CY2026)
| Work RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 0.78 | 4.11 | 0.04 | 4.93 | $164.67 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 0.78 | 4.11 | 0.04 | 4.93 | $164.67 |
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 96931 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 96931? These codes are bundled into it
96931 is a Column 1 code in 8 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
76000 | Fluoroscopy <1 hr phys/qhp | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
76942 | Echo guide for biopsy | 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 |
96932 | Rcm img acquisj only 1st les | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
96933 | Rcm i&r only 1st lesion | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
96935 | Rcm img acquisj only ea addl | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
96936 | Rcm i&r only ea addl lesion | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
96931 is bundled into these codes
96931 appears as a Column 2 code in 32 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 96931 is the code that denies.
| Column 1 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
0700T | Molec fluor img sus nev 1st | 1 | Check pair |
0701T | Molec fluor img sus nev ea | 1 | Check pair |
11102 | Tangntl bx skin single les | 1 | Check pair |
11103 | Tangntl bx skin ea sep/addl | 1 | Check pair |
11104 | Punch bx skin single lesion | 1 | Check pair |
11105 | Punch bx skin ea sep/addl | 1 | Check pair |
11106 | Incal bx skn single les | 1 | Check pair |
11107 | Incal bx skn ea sep/addl | 1 | Check pair |
11400 | Exc tr-ext b9+marg 0.5 cm< | 1 | Check pair |
11401 | Exc tr-ext b9+marg 0.6-1 cm | 1 | Check pair |
11402 | Exc tr-ext b9+marg 1.1-2 cm | 1 | Check pair |
11403 | Exc tr-ext b9+marg 2.1-3cm | 1 | Check pair |
11404 | Exc tr-ext b9+marg 3.1-4 cm | 1 | Check pair |
11406 | Exc tr-ext b9+marg >4.0 cm | 1 | Check pair |
11420 | Exc h-f-nk-sp b9+marg 0.5/< | 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.