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CPT 73721 — Mri jnt of lwr extre w/o dye

CPT code 73721 (Mri jnt of lwr extre w/o dye) carries 1.32 work RVUs under the CMS 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Total RVUs are 6.12 in a non-facility setting and 6.12 in a facility setting, which at the 2026 conversion factor of $33.40 works out to $204.41 and $204.41 respectively.

1.32
Work RVU
6.12
Total RVU (non-facility)
$204.41
Medicare, non-facility
$204.41
Medicare, facility
Calculate your total wRVUs →

RVU breakdown for CPT 73721

ComponentRVUsWhat it covers
Work RVU1.32Physician time, skill, effort, and stress.
Practice expense RVU (non-facility)4.71Office overhead, staff, supplies.
Practice expense RVU (facility)4.71Overhead when performed in a hospital.
Malpractice RVU0.0Professional liability cost.
Total RVU (non-facility)6.12Work + non-facility PE + malpractice.
Total RVU (facility)6.12Work + facility PE + malpractice.

Professional and technical components

CPT 73721 can be split into professional (modifier 26) and technical (modifier TC) components.

ComponentWork RVUTotal RVU (non-fac)Total RVU (fac)
Modifier 261.321.881.88
Modifier TC0.04.244.24

How Medicare payment is calculated

Medicare multiplies total RVUs by the annual conversion factor. For CPT 73721 in 2026:

SettingTotal RVUConversion factorNational payment
Non-facility6.12$33.40$204.41
Facility6.12$33.40$204.41

These are national amounts. Actual payment is adjusted by the Geographic Practice Cost Index for your locality — check yours with the GPCI lookup.

Billing rules for CPT 73721

Global period
Global concept does not apply to this code.
Multiple procedure reduction
Subject to the diagnostic imaging multiple-procedure reduction.
Bilateral surgery
Payment is 100% per side rather than the usual bilateral adjustment.
Assistant surgeon
Not permitted unless documentation supports medical necessity.
Co-surgeon
Not permitted unless documentation supports medical necessity.
Team surgery
Not permitted unless documentation supports medical necessity.

Related codes

Codes in the same CMS family, with their work RVU values.

73706 · 1.85 wRVU73720 · 2.1 wRVU73723 · 2.1 wRVU

Questions about CPT 73721

How many work RVUs is CPT 73721?

CPT 73721 is assigned 1.32 work RVUs in the CMS 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

What does Medicare pay for CPT 73721?

At the 2026 national conversion factor of $33.40, CPT 73721 pays approximately $204.41 in a non-facility setting and $204.41 in a facility setting before geographic adjustment.

What is the global period for CPT 73721?

Global concept does not apply to this code.

RVU values reflect the CMS 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (conversion factor $33.40). Payment figures are national and unadjusted for geography. Verify against the official fee schedule before using for billing.