Imaging

71046 - RVUs & Medicare payment (2026)

Chest X-ray, 2 views.

Component	Non-facility	Facility
Work RVU	0.21	0.21
Practice expense RVU	0.76	0.76
Malpractice RVU	0.02	0.02
Total RVUs	0.99	0.99
National payment (CF $33.4009)	$33.07	$33.07
Qualifying APM payment (CF $33.5675)	$33.23	$33.23

How 71046 payment varies by locality

Medicare adjusts payment with geographic practice cost indices, so the same code pays differently across the 109 fee schedule localities. In 2026, non-facility payment for 71046 ranges from $29.16 in Arkansas (AR) to $44.75 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA); calculate 71046 for your locality.

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) $44.75 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) $44.66 San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (CA) $43.78 San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (CA) $43.76 Napa (CA) $41.25 Vallejo (CA) $41.22 Seattle (WA) $39.06 NYC Suburbs/Long Island (NY) $38.89 National average $33.07 … 97 more localities between … Alabama (AL) $29.60 Rest Of Missouri (MO) $29.55 Mississippi (MS) $29.36 Arkansas (AR) $29.16

Non-facility payment for 71046 in the 2026 fee schedule ($33.4009 conversion factor), before sequestration. Gray bar = national average.

Global period: XXX

No global period: the global surgery concept does not apply to this code.

Professional / technical split

71046 can be billed globally or split: modifier 26 for the professional component (interpretation) and TC for the technical component (equipment and staff).

Billing	Total RVUs (non-facility)	National payment
71046-26	0.30	$10.02
71046-TC	0.69	$23.05

Related codes - imaging

71045 · chest x-ray, single view
70450 · ct head/brain without contrast
70553 · mri brain without and with contrast
72100 · lumbar spine x-ray, 2-3 views
72148 · mri lumbar spine without contrast
73030 · shoulder x-ray, complete
73721 · mri lower-extremity joint without contrast
74177 · ct abdomen and pelvis with contrast
76700 · ultrasound, abdomen, complete
76805 · obstetric ultrasound, after first trimester
76856 · pelvic ultrasound, complete
77067 · screening mammography, bilateral
77066 · diagnostic mammography, bilateral

Frequently asked questions

How much does Medicare pay for 71046 in 2026?

The national non-facility payment is $33.07 and the facility payment is $33.07, using the standard $33.4009 conversion factor. Actual amounts vary by Medicare locality; use the RVU calculator for your area.

What is the work RVU for 71046?

The 2026 work RVU for 71046 is 0.21. Total RVUs are 0.99 in the non-facility setting and 0.99 in the facility setting.

Why are the facility and non-facility amounts different?

Only the practice expense component changes by setting. In an office (non-facility) the practice bears the overhead, so the PE RVU is higher; in a hospital or ASC the facility bills its own overhead separately.

Source: CMS Physician Fee Schedule relative value file (rvu26c.zip, retrieved 2026-07-11). Service description is an original plain-English summary, not CPT descriptor text. CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Amounts are estimates before sequestration and claim-level adjustments.