Which CPT Codes are Used in Radiology Billing?

Radiology CPT codes for 2026 still live in the 70010-79999 section of the CPT code set, but several of the codes inside that section changed on January 1. CT angiography of the head and neck now has its own combined code, CT cerebral perfusion moved off a Category III tracking code, and the IMRT delivery codes radiation oncology billed for years are gone.

This guide maps the full radiology range, walks through the codes imaging practices bill most often, and covers the billing rules that decide whether those codes get paid.

Key Takeaways

What Are Radiology CPT Codes?

Radiology CPT codes are the five-digit Current Procedural Terminology codes payers use to identify imaging and radiation services. The American Medical Association maintains the code set and updates it every January. For a refresher on how the codes are built, see how CPT codes work.

Each radiology code pins down the modality (X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound or nuclear medicine), the anatomy imaged, and usually the contrast status or number of views. Change any of those and the code changes with it.

The full radiology section spans 70010 to 79999. Interventional radiology is the main exception. Most IR procedure codes sit in the Surgery section, and only the supervision and interpretation codes fall inside the radiology range.

How Are Radiology CPT Codes Organized?

The radiology section breaks into seven subsections. Diagnostic radiology is by far the largest and holds the X-ray, CT, MRI and vascular imaging codes.

Inside those subsections, a relatively small group of codes makes up most imaging claims. The tables below list them by modality with shortened descriptions. Confirm the full descriptor in the current CPT book before billing.

X-ray codes are driven by body part and number of views.

CT and CTA codes turn on anatomy and contrast status.

MRI codes follow the same anatomy-plus-contrast logic.

Ultrasound codes split heavily on complete versus limited exams.

Vascular duplex studies such as carotid and venous scans are not in this range. They sit in the Medicine section at 93880-93990.

Breast imaging and bone density codes have their own subsections.

Nuclear medicine and PET round out the range. Radiopharmaceuticals are billed separately with HCPCS A-codes or Q-codes, and the isotope on the claim has to match the study performed.

What Are the Most Common Radiology CPT Codes?

A handful of codes show up on imaging claims far more than the rest. These ten cover a large share of the X-ray, CT, MRI and ultrasound volume at imaging centers, hospital outpatient departments, and orthopedic and urgent care practices with in-house imaging. The American College of Radiology’s coding resources are the best place to check descriptor changes year to year.

How Do Professional and Technical Components Work?

Most diagnostic imaging codes have two billable parts. The technical component covers the equipment, technologist, supplies and facility. The professional component covers the radiologist’s interpretation and written report.

Whoever owns the equipment bills the technical component with modifier TC. The reading radiologist bills the professional component with modifier 26. A chest X-ray done in a hospital and read by an outside group becomes two claims, 71046-TC from the hospital and 71046-26 from the radiology group.

When one entity owns the equipment and also interprets the images, it bills the global service with no modifier. An orthopedic practice that takes and reads its own knee films bills 73562 globally. Two parties both billing the global code for one study is one of the fastest routes to duplicate-claim denials, which is why radiology billing arrangements need the split agreed in writing.

The split between the two components varies by code. The technical share is usually larger for CT, MRI and PET because of equipment cost. Medicare also applies a multiple procedure payment reduction when advanced imaging of contiguous body areas happens in the same session. The highest-paid study pays in full, and each additional study is reduced 50 percent on the technical component and 5 percent on the professional component.

Which Modifiers Are Essential in Radiology Billing?

Beyond TC and 26, a short list of modifiers carries most radiology claims.

Stacked modifiers are normal in radiology. A line like 73721-26-RT is routine. Every modifier on the line has to trace back to something in the report.

What Documentation Do You Need for Radiology Claims?

Every radiology claim starts with a valid order. Medicare and most commercial payers expect the ordering provider’s name, NPI number and clinical reason on file, and the ordering provider has to be enrolled with the payer.

The diagnosis code has to support medical necessity for that specific study. Unspecified ICD-10 codes trigger a large share of imaging denials, and the 2026 ICD-10 update added specificity radiology uses daily. Flank pain now has its own codes (R10.A0-R10.A3), and pelvic pain gained laterality (R10.20-R10.24).

Contrast documentation decides the code. In CPT, “with contrast” means contrast given intravascularly, intra-articularly or intrathecally. Oral or rectal contrast alone does not count, so a CT abdomen with oral contrast only is still coded as without contrast. The “without followed by with” codes, such as 74178 and 70553, require two acquisitions in the same session, one before contrast and one after. The report should name the agent, route and dose.

The report itself should state the exam performed, the number of views or sequences, findings and impression. For complete studies, it should name every required structure. Clean medical billing for imaging depends on the report matching the code line for line, because auditors compare the two directly.

What Common Billing Errors Should You Avoid?

The same mistakes account for most radiology denials and recoupments.

Place of service causes its own problems on professional component claims. The place of service should reflect where the patient was imaged, not where the radiologist read the study.

Most of these errors surface as edits or denials within days. A working denial management process catches the pattern before it repeats across hundreds of claims, and our list of coding and billing errors to avoid covers the versions that show up in every specialty.

How Do New Technology and AI Impact Radiology Billing?

New imaging technology reaches billing through the annual CPT update. The 2026 update added 288 codes, revised 46 and deleted 84 across the full code set, and radiology took a meaningful share of the changes. For the cross-specialty summary, see what’s new in 2026 CPT coding.

CTA of the head and neck now reports with 70471, because the two exams were billed together the large majority of the time. According to Healthcare Administrative Partners’ 2026 review, the bundled code pays roughly a quarter less on the professional side than 70496 and 70498 did together. The separate codes remain valid when only one region is scanned.

CT cerebral perfusion left Category III code 0042T behind. Report add-on +70472 when perfusion runs with a concurrent head CT or CTA, and 70473 when it stands alone. Some Medicare contractors also require the KX modifier on 70472 to attest that the study was performed at a certified stroke center.

Radiation oncology delivery moved to three complexity levels, 77402, 77407 and 77412, with image guidance bundled into delivery. Codes 77385, 77386 and 77014 were deleted along with Medicare’s G6001-G6017 series, and image guidance consolidated under 77387. The ASTRO summary of the 2026 delivery codes details the new levels, and our guide to oncology billing codes covers the medical oncology side.

Interventional radiology saw the biggest overhaul. Lower extremity revascularization codes 37220-37235 were replaced by 46 territory-based codes (37254-37299). Prostate biopsy code 55700 gave way to imaging-guided codes 55707-55715 that already include the guidance, so billing a separate guidance code with them creates a bundling denial.

Artificial intelligence is also showing up in the code set itself. Code 75577 now covers AI-based coronary plaque analysis on CCTA, replacing Category III codes 0623T-0626T. On the billing side, coding tools that read imaging reports and suggest codes are common, but a coder still has to confirm the suggestion matches the documentation. Any deleted code left in a chargemaster or order set will reject at the clearinghouse, so audit those tables every January.

What Role Does Prior Authorization Play?

Advanced imaging carries more prior authorization requirements than almost any other service line. Most commercial and Medicare Advantage plans require approval for elective CT, MRI, PET and nuclear cardiology, often through a radiology benefit manager such as Evolent or Carelon rather than the plan itself.

An approval only protects the claim if the code billed matches the code authorized. A CT authorized as 74177 and performed as 74178 after the radiologist adds a pre-contrast series can still deny. That gap is covered in detail in why an approved authorization can still end in a denied claim.

Build the check into scheduling. Verify authorization before high-cost studies, update it when the protocol changes, and put the authorization number on every claim.

Radiology Billing CPT Codes FAQ

How Can You Improve Your Radiology Billing Operations?

Imaging practices lose money in small increments. It might be a wrong contrast code on one claim, a limited ultrasound billed as complete on another, or a deleted code still active in January. Each one is minor until it repeats across a few thousand studies a month.

Start with the chargemaster and the top twenty codes by volume. Confirm every descriptor against the 2026 CPT book, check that TC and 26 logic matches who owns the equipment, and pull a sample of denials to see which errors keep coming back.

Medwave handles medical billing, credentialing, and payer contracting for healthcare providers, including radiology groups, imaging centers and practices with in-house imaging. We have supported more than 15,000 providers, and our coders track component splits, modifier logic and annual code changes so your staff does not have to.

If radiology denials are climbing or the 2026 changes are still bouncing claims, send us a note below and we will review a sample of your recent radiology claims.

Alex J. Lau

Co-Founder and COO of Medwave, bringing more than 30 years of hands-on experience in healthcare revenue cycle management, payer contracting, and medical credentialing.