MRI CPT codes run from 70336 to 76498, and two variables decide every code you pick: the body region imaged and the contrast status of the study. Nine body-region families cover the diagnostic set. Each family carries three contrast variants, and those three exclude one another.
This guide gives you the full code list by region, the modifier rules, the NCCI bundling limits that stop two codes on one claim, the prior authorization traps, and the denial each mistake produces.
One reason this page exists: published mri cpt code lists sitting on page one still carry codes that CPT retired in 2019, alongside codes that have never existed. Build a claim from one of those lists and it rejects on submission, and your documentation quality won’t save it. Every code below carries a 2026 status marker checked against current AMA descriptors.
If you run an imaging center, a radiology group, or a hospital outpatient department, this is your reference. Same goes for the specialties reading their own studies, where the cpt code for mri gets picked by someone who codes orthopedics or neurology all day and touches radiology twice a week.
Key Takeaways
- MRI CPT codes run 70336 to 76498 and split into nine body-region families, each carrying three mutually exclusive contrast variants.
- Contrast status decides the code, and the radiologist’s report decides contrast status. The order doesn’t.
- Only intravenous contrast qualifies a study for a with-contrast code. Oral and rectal contrast don’t.
- CMS NCCI policy permits one code from 70540 to 70543 per imaging session, even when the study covers orbit, face, and neck.
- When one technical study produces both an MRI report and an MRA report for the same region, you report one code.
- No combined MRI code exists for abdomen and pelvis. CT has one. MRI doesn’t.
- Six MR safety codes, 76014 through 76019, report implant assessment work and carry time-based documentation requirements.
- CPT retired 77058 and 77059 on January 1, 2019, and both still appear on published MRI code lists.
What Are MRI CPT Codes and Who Bills Them
MRI CPT codes are five-digit procedure codes maintained by the American Medical Association that tell a payer which magnetic resonance study you performed and how. Two code sets have to agree on the claim. ICD-10-CM explains why the patient needed the study, CPT explains what the radiologist did, and a payer that can’t reconcile the two denies it.
What is the CPT code range for MRI?
MRI codes sit inside the diagnostic radiology section and span 70336 at the low end, temporomandibular joint imaging, through 76498, the unlisted MR procedure code. Breast MRI, 77046 through 77049, and the MR safety codes, 76014 through 76019, sit adjacent to that span rather than inside it.
The mri cpt code range matters when you’re building a chargemaster filter or scoping an audit and need a boundary. Most published lists give you one tidy range and drop breast MRI outside it without saying so.
Who bills MRI CPT codes?
Freestanding imaging centers, hospital outpatient departments, radiology groups, and independent diagnostic testing facilities bill these codes daily. So does any specialty practice that owns a scanner and reads its own studies.
Pull the aged claims off an imaging AR report and the pattern shows up fast. The stuck claims aren’t exotic mri procedure codes. They’re contrast misclassifications and missing laterality modifiers on studies the tech performed correctly.
Every code in the tables below was checked against the 2026 CPT code set on the verification date shown at the end of this guide. The AMA maintains the code set and publishes each year’s changes the September before they take effect, and the AMA CPT 2026 code set announcement covers what moved this year.
MRI CPT Codes by Body Region and Contrast Status (2026)
Nine body-region families cover diagnostic MRI, and each one carries three contrast variants: without contrast, with contrast only, and without followed by with contrast in the same session. Two families break that pattern. Breast MRI has no with-contrast-only option, and cardiac MRI organizes by function and flow instead. The 2026 Status column tells you whether the code is current.
| Body Region | Without Contrast | With Contrast Only | Without and With Contrast | 2026 Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brain | 70551 | 70552 | 70553 | Current |
| Orbit, face, neck | 70540 | 70542 | 70543 | Current |
| Temporomandibular joint | 70336 | n/a | n/a | Current |
| Chest | 71550 | 71551 | 71552 | Current |
| Cervical spine | 72141 | 72142 | 72156 | Current |
| Thoracic spine | 72146 | 72147 | 72157 | Current |
| Lumbar spine | 72148 | 72149 | 72158 | Current |
| Pelvis | 72195 | 72196 | 72197 | Current |
| Upper extremity joint | 73221 | 73222 | 73223 | Current |
| Upper extremity non-joint | 73218 | 73219 | 73220 | Current |
| Lower extremity joint | 73721 | 73722 | 73723 | Current |
| Lower extremity non-joint | 73718 | 73719 | 73720 | Current |
| Abdomen | 74181 | 74182 | 74183 | Current |
| Breast, unilateral | 77046 | n/a | 77048 | Current |
| Breast, bilateral | 77047 | n/a | 77049 | Current |
| MRA head | 70544 | 70545 | 70546 | Current |
| MRA neck | 70547 | 70548 | 70549 | Current |
| MRA chest | 71555 (single code) | n/a | n/a | Current |
| MRA spinal canal | 72159 (single code) | n/a | n/a | Current |
| MRA pelvis | 72198 (single code) | n/a | n/a | Current |
| MRA abdomen | 74185 (single code) | n/a | n/a | Current |
| MRA upper extremity | 73225 (single code) | n/a | n/a | Current |
| MRA lower extremity | 73725 (single code) | n/a | n/a | Current |
| Unlisted MR procedure | 76498 | n/a | n/a | Current |
Two rows carry most of the search traffic and most of the denials. Brain MRI without and with contrast is 70553. Lumbar spine MRI without contrast is 72148, and our CPT 72148 billing guide covers the LCD criteria and appeal language for that one code in depth.
MRI code families as ranges
- Brain: 70551-70553
- Orbit, face, neck: 70540-70543
- Spine: 72141-72158
- Pelvis: 72195-72197
- Upper extremity: 73218-73223
- Lower extremity: 73718-73723
- Abdomen: 74181-74183
- Cardiac: 75557-75565
- MR safety: 76014-76019
- Breast: 77046-77049
Sacrum and coccyx MRI
An mri sacrum cpt code question has one answer: report sacrum and coccyx studies with the pelvis codes, 72195 through 72197, selected by contrast status. CPT publishes no separate sacral or coccygeal code. The mri of the sacrum cpt code and the mri coccyx cpt code both resolve to the same pelvis family, and the contrast rule still applies.
How Contrast Status Decides Every MRI CPT Code
Contrast status drives the single highest-volume decision in MRI coding and produces more denials than any other code-selection error. Three codes exist for most body regions. One of them fits the study you performed.
What is the difference between MRI without, with, and without and with contrast?
CPT 70551 reports a brain MRI performed without contrast. CPT 70552 reports one performed with contrast only. CPT 70553 reports pre-contrast sequences, then contrast administration, then further sequences in the same session. The three codes exclude one another, so a study maps to exactly one.
The error that repeats: a biller sends 70551 and 70552 on the same claim to represent a without-and-with study. Payer editing systems reject that pair. When both phases ran in one session, the cpt code for mri brain with and without contrast is 70553, billed as a single line.
Does oral or rectal contrast count?
No. Only intravenous contrast qualifies a study for a with-contrast code. Oral and rectal contrast don’t change code selection, and billing a with-contrast code on an oral-only study is a documented upcoding finding in imaging audits.
The distinction trips up teams who cross-cover CT and MRI, because oral contrast shows up in most abdominal CT protocols. Same word, different billing consequence.
What if contrast was ordered but never given?
Bill the mri without contrast cpt code. When the tech withholds contrast for a documented allergy or a renal function concern, the study you performed is a non-contrast study, and intent doesn’t change the code.
The working rule underneath all three of these: the radiologist’s report governs, not the order. A coder working from the order alone can’t see the conflict, so the wrong code goes out the moment the two documents disagree.
Picture the study a payer pulls on audit. The technologist note says contrast administered. The radiologist’s report never mentions it. The claim went out as 70553. Ask which document the auditor opens first, and you already know how that review ends.
Fixing that pattern means changing the claim build, not the appeal letter, which is where clean claim submission discipline earns its keep.
If contrast codes keep coming back denied, the correction sits upstream of the appeal queue. Radiology denial management works the pattern at the claim build stage, so the next batch doesn’t repeat the last one.
Brain, Head, Orbit, and Neck MRI CPT Codes
Head and neck studies carry the highest claim volume in the MRI code set. The family covers brain, orbit, face, soft tissue neck, and the temporomandibular joint, and one CMS bundling rule applies to this range that applies nowhere else in MRI.
What is the CPT code for a brain MRI?
The mri brain cpt code depends on contrast. CPT 70551 covers a brain MRI without contrast, 70552 covers one with contrast only, and 70553 covers pre-contrast sequences followed by contrast and further sequences. Tumor workups, infection, demyelinating disease, and post-surgical evaluation typically drive the 70553 selection.
CPT 70553 carries the highest value and the highest denial rate in the family. Request prior authorization for the code you’re going to perform, because an approval naming 70551 won’t cover a 70553 claim. Teams lose that one after the scan, when nothing can be recoded.
Which code covers pituitary and internal auditory canal MRI?
Report both with the brain codes, 70551 through 70553. CPT publishes no separate pituitary code and no separate internal auditory canal code, so the mri pituitary gland cpt code and the mri of iac cpt code both resolve to the brain family. Contrast status still picks which of the three applies.
The question comes up because order sets name anatomy, not code families. A referring physician writes MRI pituitary, the scheduler enters MRI pituitary, and the coder goes looking for a code that was never created.
What are the orbit, face, and neck MRI codes?
CPT 70540 covers orbit, face, or neck MRI without contrast. CPT 70542 covers it with contrast, and 70543 covers without and with. Report one code from this range per imaging session, even when the study evaluates one, two, or all three of those areas, per the CMS NCCI Policy Manual Chapter IX, revised January 1, 2026.
Where the rule bites: a tech extends field of view across orbit and neck in one continuous session, the radiologist writes findings on both, and billing sends two codes. One session, one billable code from that range, no matter how many of the three areas the images cover.
CPT 70336 reports temporomandibular joint MRI and sits at the low end of the whole MRI span.
Soft tissue neck MRI
The mri soft tissue neck cpt code is 70540, 70542, or 70543, the same orbit, face, and neck family. Coders confuse this with the MRA neck codes, 70547 through 70549, which report vascular imaging rather than soft tissue anatomy. Different question, different family, different payment.
Spine MRI CPT Codes: Cervical, Thoracic, and Lumbar
Spine is the most miscoded family in MRI, and the numbering explains why. The without-and-with code for each spinal region sits well outside the sequence you’d expect. Cervical runs 72141, then 72142, then jumps to 72156. A coder reaching for the next number in line lands in a different region entirely.
What is the CPT code for a lumbar spine MRI without contrast?
CPT 72148. The mri lumbar spine without contrast cpt code covers the lumbar spinal canal and its contents with no contrast administered. With contrast only is 72149, and without and with is 72158.
Lumbar carries the highest volume of the three spinal regions, and payers scrutinize it hardest. Most expect documented conservative treatment in the record before they approve advanced imaging for a non-emergent back pain presentation.
What is the CPT code for a cervical spine MRI?
CPT 72141 covers cervical spine MRI without contrast. The cervical mri cpt code for with contrast only is 72142, and 72156 covers without and with in the same session.
That 72156 placement is the trap in this family. A coder scanning for a sequential number lands on 72146, which is thoracic, or 72148, which is lumbar. Both pay. Both are wrong.
Which code covers thoracic spine MRI?
CPT 72146 covers thoracic spine MRI without contrast, 72147 covers with contrast, and 72157 covers without and with. The cpt code for mri of thoracic spine without contrast follows the same three-tier structure as the other two regions.
Thoracic runs the lowest volume of the three, which makes it the region most likely to carry a chargemaster entry your team hasn’t reviewed since it went in.
What is the CPT code for a lumbosacral MRI?
Report a lumbosacral spine MRI with the lumbar codes, 72148, 72149, or 72158, selected by contrast status. CPT publishes no separate lumbosacral code. When the study targets the sacrum itself rather than the lumbar canal, the pelvis codes apply instead.
The cpt code for lumbosacral mri question generates real search volume because order language and code language don’t line up. Physicians order lumbosacral studies. CPT calls them lumbar.
A study spanning thoracic and lumbar regions forces a documentation call on which region the clinical question targets. The mri thoracolumbar spine cpt code follows the region the radiologist answers, not the region the scanner covered.
Musculoskeletal MRI CPT Codes: The Joint Versus Non-Joint Rule
Extremity MRI splits four ways: upper joint, upper non-joint, lower joint, lower non-joint. Inside each group, one code covers every joint the group contains. The specific anatomy imaged doesn’t change the code, and that surprises coders who expect a knee code and a hip code to differ.
What is the CPT code for a knee MRI without contrast?
CPT 73721. The mri knee without contrast cpt code also reports hip, ankle, and any other lower extremity joint performed without contrast. Laterality travels on a modifier rather than a separate code.
Bilateral studies go out as two claim lines carrying RT and LT, not one bilateral line. Confirm your payer’s bilateral indicator before you assume modifier 50 applies, because Medicare and several commercial plans handle this differently.
What is the CPT code for a shoulder MRI?
The mri shoulder cpt code is 73221 without contrast, 73222 with contrast, and 73223 without and with. That same triad covers elbow, wrist, and hand joints, so the mri wrist cpt code and the mri elbow cpt code resolve to the identical three numbers.
The question keeps recurring because order sets name the joint. A scheduler enters MRI right shoulder, and the coder looks for a shoulder-specific code that CPT never created.
What is the difference between 73721 and 73718?
CPT 73721 reports a lower extremity joint study. CPT 73718 reports a lower extremity non-joint study covering thigh, femur, lower leg, and soft tissue. The clinical question the radiologist answers decides which code applies, and our CPT 73721 modifier rules guide breaks down the laterality and component-split requirements on that code claim by claim.
After laterality, this distinction generates more extremity denials than anything else in the family. A soft tissue mass in the thigh is 73718. A meniscal tear is 73721. The scanner setup looks similar. The claims don’t.
What is the CPT code for a foot MRI?
The mri foot cpt code is 73721 when the clinical question centers on a joint, such as midfoot arthritis or a Lisfranc injury, and 73718 when it centers on soft tissue or bone outside a joint. Neither code is foot-specific.
Published code lists circulate with foot-specific MRI numbers that don’t exist in the CPT set. A claim carrying one rejects at the clearinghouse before a human reviewer sees it.
For the upper extremity, CPT 73218, 73219, and 73220 report humerus, forearm, and hand studies outside a joint focus. The mri hand cpt code lands on 73218 for soft tissue and 73221 when the study targets the hand joints.
Missing RT and LT on extremity claims is the cheapest denial in radiology to prevent and one of the most common to keep paying for. The modifier has to appear in the order and the final report before it goes on the claim, which makes it a claim-build problem rather than an appeals problem.
Abdomen, Pelvis, Chest, and Cardiac MRI CPT Codes
Body MRI follows the same three-tier contrast structure as the rest of the set, with one structural gap that catches teams who cross-cover CT.
What is the CPT code for an abdominal MRI?
The mri abdomen cpt code is 74181 without contrast, 74182 with contrast, and 74183 without and with. Liver, kidney, and pancreas studies all report under this family, so the mri liver cpt code and the mri of kidney cpt code both resolve here.
Watch the confusion between 74183 and the CT abdomen and pelvis codes in the 74176 series. The numbers sit close together, the families are separate, and the two don’t pay the same.
Is there a CPT code for MRI abdomen and pelvis together?
No. No combined MRI code exists for abdomen and pelvis. CT has 74176, 74177, and 74178 for that pairing, and MRI has no equivalent. When both regions get imaged, you report the abdomen code and the pelvis code separately, subject to payer policy and NCCI review. Our CT contrast coding rules guide covers how the CT contrast triads work for comparison.
The CT habit carries straight over. A coder who bills abdomen and pelvis CT every day reaches for the MRI equivalent, doesn’t find one, and picks 74183 assuming it covers both regions. CPT 74183 covers the abdomen.
What is the CPT code for a pelvic MRI?
The mri pelvis cpt code is 72195 without contrast, 72196 with contrast, and 72197 without and with. Sacrum and coccyx studies report under these same three codes.
The mri pelvis with and without contrast cpt code, 72197, requires documentation of both the pre-contrast and post-contrast sequences in the report. A report describing only post-contrast findings won’t support it.
What are the cardiac MRI CPT codes?
The cardiac mri cpt code family runs 75557 through 75565 and organizes by morphology and function, stress imaging, and velocity flow mapping rather than by the standard contrast triad. That structural difference is why generic MRI code lists leave cardiac out.
Cardiology practices bill these every week, which is part of why coders read them as cardiology codes. They sit in the radiology section.
Chest MRI reports under 71550, 71551, and 71552, so the mri chest cpt code follows the standard triad. Fetal MRI reports under 74712 and 74713.
MRA, MRV, MRCP, and Specialty MR CPT Codes
MRA and MRV codes sit apart from diagnostic MRI and follow a different structure. Several regions carry a single code covering the study with or without contrast, so the three-tier pattern doesn’t hold across this group.
What are the MRA CPT codes?
Head MRA runs 70544, 70545, and 70546, so the mra brain cpt code follows the standard triad. Neck MRA runs 70547, 70548, and 70549. Chest is 71555, spinal canal is 72159, pelvis is 72198, abdomen is 74185, upper extremity is 73225, and lower extremity is 73725. Those single-code regions cover the study with or without contrast in one number.
One correction worth flagging: CPT 74185 is a single abdomen MRA code. Published lists carry companion numbers alongside it that CPT never created, and a claim built on one of those rejects on submission.
MRV of the head reports with the head MRA codes. CPT publishes no separate MRV family, so the cpt code mrv question resolves to 70544 through 70546 by contrast status.
What CPT code is used for MRCP?
Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography reports with the abdomen MRI codes, 74181 through 74183, selected by contrast status. CPT publishes no dedicated mrcp cpt code.
Make sure the report supports the abdomen code when the order says MRCP. The order names a protocol. The claim names a body region, and an auditor reads the report to connect them.
What is the CPT code for MR elastography?
Report MR elastography as an add-on to the abdomen MRI study rather than as a standalone body-region code. The cpt code for mri elastography and the magnetic resonance elastography cpt code both point to that add-on structure.
Coverage varies more than coding does on this one. Confirm the payer’s position before the study runs, because a correct claim still denies when the plan excludes the service.
CPT 76498 reports an unlisted MR procedure and requires a supporting narrative describing what the radiologist performed. Payers price these individually, so a bare code with no documentation goes nowhere.
Is This an MRI Code? A Quick Verification Table
Half the questions people bring to an MRI code list aren’t about which code to pick. They’re about a five-digit number sitting on a claim in front of them, and whether it’s even an MRI code. The table settles the numbers most often mistaken for MRI.
| Code | MRI? | What It Reports | CPT Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| 73221 | Yes | Upper extremity joint, without contrast | Diagnostic radiology |
| 73222 | Yes | Upper extremity joint, with contrast | Diagnostic radiology |
| 72141 | Yes | Cervical spine, without contrast | Diagnostic radiology |
| 72197 | Yes | Pelvis, without then with contrast | Diagnostic radiology |
| 74183 | Yes | Abdomen, without and with contrast. Not CT abdomen and pelvis | Diagnostic radiology |
| 76017 | MR-adjacent | MR safety physics exam customization, day of exam | MR safety family |
| 78306 | No | Whole-body bone scan | Nuclear medicine |
| 78451 | No | Myocardial perfusion SPECT, single study | Nuclear medicine |
| 78452 | No | Myocardial perfusion SPECT, multiple studies | Nuclear medicine |
| 93015 | No | Cardiovascular stress test | Medicine section |
Section placement decides operational questions, not academic ones. It sets which fee schedule column applies, whether a professional and technical split is available at all, and which credentialing panel the interpreting physician needs before the claim pays. Adjacent radiology families follow the same logic, which our CPT 77080 DXA guide walks through for bone density studies.
CPT 74183 earns a row here for one reason. Published lists label it a pelvis code. It reports the abdomen, and a team that trusts the wrong label bills a pelvis study under an abdomen number until someone audits it.
MR Safety CPT Codes 76014-76019: What the New Additions Cover
Patients with implanted devices used to get turned away from MRI. Device manufacturers and MR system makers changed that by testing implants and redesigning them for the MR environment, and the extra work of assessing an implant before scanning had no billable home until this family arrived. Six codes cover it, split three before the exam and three on the day of it.
What are the MR safety CPT codes?
Six codes, 76014 through 76019, report magnetic resonance safety work for patients with implants or foreign bodies. Codes 76014 through 76016 cover assessment and planning before the exam. Codes 76017 through 76019 cover additional work performed on the day of the exam. The ACR on MR safety codes details how the AMA CPT Editorial Panel structured the family.
These carry time-based elements. If your technologist doesn’t log start and stop times, you can’t bill the work no matter how much of it happened. That’s a documentation template problem, and it costs practices the whole family.
What does CPT 76014 cover?
CPT 76014 reports the initial 15 minutes of trained clinical staff work to identify and verify implant components, review the implant’s MR requirements, contact the patient with implant-specific instructions, and provide a written summary in the medical record. Staff document contraindications as part of the same work.
The detail most published summaries skip: CPT 76015 is the add-on for each additional 30 minutes on complex, multiple, or incompletely documented implants. Both 76014 and 76015 are technical-component-only codes carrying no physician work, and 76015 can be reported up to three times per encounter.
What is the difference between 76014 and 76016?
CPT 76014 reports staff-level implant assessment. CPT 76016 reports an MR safety determination by a physician or MR-safety-trained qualified healthcare professional responsible for the safety of the procedure, typically performed before the day of the exam, as the American Journal of Neuroradiology sets out in its user guide to the family.
CPT 76016 isn’t a routine code. It applies when MR conditions aren’t clearly identified, when the exam presents a real risk to the patient, or when the implant may compromise what the study can show. Abandoned leads, non-functioning implants, and devices in unexpected anatomical locations all fit.
What does CPT 76017 cover?
CPT 76017 reports MR safety medical physics exam customization on the day of the exam, covering the extra scanner time and the interactive work between the medical physicist, the radiologist, and the technologist. CPT 76018 covers implant electronics preparation, such as programming a device into an MR-appropriate mode. CPT 76019 covers implant positioning and immobilization.
Those three are modular, so you can report them together when the device requires more than one service. The ACR 2026 coding updates page carries the current-year radiology descriptors if you need to confirm one.
MRI Modifiers: 26, TC, Global, and Laterality
Most MRI services split into two components. The technical side covers equipment, technologist time, and facility overhead. The professional side covers the radiologist’s interpretation and written report. When one entity bills both, neither modifier belongs on the claim.
| Modifier | What It Reports | When It Applies to MRI | Audit Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Professional component | Radiologist interprets a study performed on equipment they don’t own | Low |
| TC | Technical component | Facility supplies the scanner, staff, and overhead | Low |
| None (global) | Both components | One entity owns the equipment and employs the reading physician | Medium if misapplied |
| RT and LT | Laterality | Unilateral extremity studies. Required by most payers | Medium |
| 50 | Bilateral procedure | Same joint both sides. Verify the payer’s bilateral indicator first | Medium |
| 52 | Reduced services | Study started but not completed. Document the reason | Low |
| 53 | Discontinued procedure | Stopped after starting for a patient safety reason | Low |
| 59 | Distinct procedural service | Second distinct study same date where an NCCI edit would bundle | High |
| XS and XU | Distinct-service subsets | Separate structure or unusual non-overlapping service | High |
| 76 | Repeat by same physician | Second study same day, changed clinical status | Low |
| 77 | Repeat by different physician | Second read by a different radiologist | Low |
When do I use modifier 26 versus modifier TC on an MRI?
Modifier 26 reports the professional component when the interpreting radiologist doesn’t own or operate the scanner. Modifier TC reports the technical component when the facility supplies equipment, staff, and overhead. When one entity owns the equipment and employs the reading physician, bill the code globally with no modifier, which is the arrangement most freestanding centers run and most hospital revenue cycle teams split.
The expensive version of this error is the duplicate global. The facility submits the full code, the radiologist submits the full code, and the payer sees a duplicate and denies one or both. That one surfaces on audit months later rather than on the remittance, which is why component billing denials tend to age before anyone catches the pattern.
Does MRI CPT code 73221 need a modifier?
Does cpt code 73221 need a modifier? Not on every claim, though most carry at least one. RT or LT belongs on essentially every extremity study, since payers require laterality on unilateral imaging. Modifier 26 or TC applies when professional and technical components bill separately. Modifier 59 applies when a second, separate study runs on the same date.
Laterality gets missed for a specific reason. RT or LT has to appear in the physician’s order and in the final radiology report before you append it to the claim. A modifier sitting on a claim with no matching laterality in the record is audit exposure, not a fix.
Do MRI codes require RT or LT?
Unilateral extremity MRI studies require RT or LT. Spine, brain, abdomen, and pelvis studies don’t, because those regions aren’t lateralized and payers don’t expect a side.
Bilateral extremity studies typically go out as two claim lines rather than one. Check the payer’s bilateral surgery indicator before you assume modifier 50 applies, since Medicare and commercial plans split on this.
When does modifier 59 apply to MRI?
Modifier 59 applies when two distinct MRI studies run on the same date and an NCCI edit would otherwise bundle them. The X modifiers, and XS for a separate structure in particular, name the reason two services are distinct instead of leaving the payer to infer it, so they hold up better on review. Code and modifier changes take effect January 1 each year, and AAPC on CPT 2026 summarizes what shifted this cycle.
The placement rule most teams get backward: the distinct-service modifier goes on the lower-valued code in the pair, not on whichever code the biller reaches for first. Reversing it produces repeat denials on claims that were unbundled correctly.
When component errors run across a whole payer mix, appeals won’t fix them. The claim build upstream keeps producing the same mismatch, and each appeal buys back one claim while the next batch goes out carrying the same error.
NCCI Bundling Rules That Deny MRI Claims
Two edit types govern MRI claims. Procedure-to-procedure edits block specific code pairs. Medically unlikely edits cap the units you can report per date of service. The radiology chapter of the CMS NCCI Policy Manual, Chapter IX, carries a revision date of January 1, 2026, and it’s the document a payer cites when it bundles your claim.
Can you bill MRI and MRA of the same region together?
Usually no. CMS NCCI policy states that when a single technical study generates images for both an MRI report and an MRA report of the same anatomic region, you report one procedure rather than two. Reporting both requires separate encounters, or two separate technical studies performed at the same encounter.
Where this bites: the scanner runs one acquisition, the radiologist writes two reports, and billing sees two reports and sends two codes. The edit catches it, and now you’re appealing something the documentation never supported.
If your protocol routinely produces both reports off one acquisition, that’s a chargemaster conversation, not an appeals conversation. Working the NCCI bundling denials one at a time buys back single claims while the protocol keeps generating new ones.
Can brain MRI and orbit MRI be billed together?
Only when both studies are medically reasonable and necessary and the radiologist performed them as distinct studies. When an orbit abnormality turns up incidentally during a brain MRI, the orbit study isn’t separately reportable, because the tech performed one MRI study.
Departments create this situation without meaning to. A tech extends field of view or adds sequences during a single acquisition, the radiologist describes what the extra sequences showed, and billing reads two findings as two studies. The policy logic runs one technical study, one billed study.
How often do NCCI edits change?
The NCCI Policy Manual updates annually, effective January 1. The procedure-to-procedure edit files update quarterly, effective January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. A claim coded correctly under one quarter’s file still denies when your team checked a different quarter for that date of service.
That’s the audit finding your team won’t see coming. The code was right, the documentation was right, and the edit file the biller checked was a quarter stale. Those appeals fail, because the edit was valid on the date of service.
MRI bundling pairs worth checking before submission
- 3D post-processing billed alongside a code whose descriptor already includes image postprocessing
- Two codes from the 70540 to 70543 range reported for one imaging session
- MRI and MRA of the same region generated from one acquisition
- MR guidance billed with a procedure that already bundles the guidance
- Unlisted code 76498 submitted with no supporting narrative
Medical Necessity and ICD-10 Pairing for MRI Claims
Every MRI claim needs an ICD-10-CM code that independently justifies the study, and the diagnosis has to match the indication the ordering provider documented. Symptom codes work while no confirmed diagnosis exists. Payers expect the code to sharpen once imaging answers the question.
| Clinical Indication | ICD-10 | Typical MRI Code | Documentation Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low back pain, unspecified | M54.50 | 72148 | Most payers expect documented conservative care first |
| Lumbar disc displacement | M51.26 | 72148 | Specify the level when imaging supports it |
| Lumbar spinal stenosis | M48.06 | 72148 | Pairs well with documented neurological symptoms |
| Cervical radiculopathy | M54.12 | 72141 | Specify the level in the clinical note |
| Knee pain, right | M25.561 | 73721 | Laterality modifier required on the claim |
| Suspected intracranial mass | Per clinical documentation | 70553 | Contrast rationale must appear in the order |
| Pelvic mass or fibroids | Per clinical documentation | 72197 | Pre- and post-contrast sequences documented |
| Routine exam | Z00.00 | None | No medical necessity exists for diagnostic MRI on a well encounter |
What ICD-10 codes support medical necessity for a lumbar MRI?
Lumbar MRI claims pair most cleanly with codes describing a structural finding or documented neurological involvement. M48.06 and M51.26 hold up when clinical documentation supports them. M54.50 as the sole primary diagnosis, with no documentation trail behind it, draws scrutiny from payers running local coverage edit logic.
The sequencing rule closes it: the primary diagnosis has to be the condition that motivated the order. You know the pattern where the radiologist writes four precise paragraphs describing a structural finding and the claim goes out carrying the unspecified symptom code that sat on the order. That claim comes back as a medical necessity denial, and the CO-50 appeal workflow costs more staff time than the upstream fix would have.
Why do headache MRI claims get denied?
Payers deny routine brain MRI ordered for unspecified headache more often than any other brain indication. Most expect documented red flags, such as a neurological deficit or papilledema, or documented failure of conservative treatment, before they approve imaging for headache.
A specific diagnosis supports necessity better than a generic headache code. The specificity has to come from the clinical record, though. A coder can’t create it at charge entry, and adding it after the denial arrives reads as backfill to a reviewer.
One general rule closes this section. A category header with billable child codes underneath it isn’t billable itself. The claim needs the specific code the imaging supports, and defaulting to the unspecified parent weakens the record if the payer audits later.
MRI Prior Authorization: What Requires It and Who Decides
Most commercial payers route advanced imaging through a radiology benefit manager that maintains its own code list, separate from the annual CPT update. That list moves on its own schedule. Checking CPT changes in January tells you nothing about what a benefit manager added in March.
| Service | Commercial Auth | Documentation Typically Required |
|---|---|---|
| MRI, outpatient | Usually | Indication, prior imaging, referring provider notes |
| Spine MRI | Usually | Documented failed conservative treatment |
| MRI with contrast | Usually | Contrast rationale stated in the order |
| MRA | Usually | Vascular indication documented |
| MR safety assessment, 76014 to 76019 | Varies | Confirm the payer’s position before the encounter |
| Plain film X-ray | Rarely | Clinical indication on the order |
Which MRI CPT codes require prior authorization?
Most outpatient MRI studies require authorization through a commercial payer’s radiology benefit manager, and the authorization has to name the code you perform. An authorization obtained for 70551 doesn’t cover a 70553 claim, and that mismatch drives a large share of brain MRI authorization denials. Catching it belongs to prior authorization verification, before the patient reaches the scanner.
This is the failure that stings most, because the study already happened. Correct code, correct modifier, complete documentation, and no active authorization still equals a denied claim with no coding fix available to you.
Why was my MRI claim denied with CO-197?
CO-197 means prior authorization or precertification was absent. It isn’t a medical necessity denial, and treating it like one wastes the appeal. Resolution runs through either a retroactive authorization request inside the payer’s window or a formal appeal with clinical documentation once that window closes.
Authorization also has to be active on the date of service. An approval that expired between scheduling and the appointment denies the same as no approval at all, and rescheduling a patient without rechecking the auth is how practices create that gap.
The check belongs at scheduling, not at billing. By the time a claim reaches your biller the study is done and the retro window may already be closed, which is why eligibility checks before scheduling protect more revenue than any appeal template. Pull each payer’s current benefit manager list at least quarterly.
What Changed for MRI in the 2026 CPT Code Set
Most of the 2026 radiology change landed in CT angiography, cerebral perfusion, and interventional radiology. Diagnostic MRI code structure held steady, which is useful to know before you start hunting for changes that didn’t happen.
Did any MRI CPT codes change for 2026?
The core diagnostic MRI families kept their structure for 2026. Brain, spine, extremity, abdomen, and pelvis codes carry the same three-tier contrast structure they carried the year before. The MR safety family, 76014 through 76019, remains current.
What changed elsewhere in radiology still matters to you. Deleted codes deny automatically from the first January claim when they’re still sitting in a chargemaster, an order set, or an EHR template left over from a prior year.
What are the new CPT codes for radiology in 2026?
The 2026 CPT set introduced 418 total changes, including 288 new codes, 84 deletions, and 46 revisions, all effective January 1, 2026. Radiology gained a combined CTA head and neck code and new CT cerebral perfusion codes. Lower extremity revascularization moved to a territory-based family of 46 codes.
MRI-adjacent Category III codes keep appearing for quantitative MR analysis and brain MR connectomic analysis. Category III codes carry no assigned relative value units, so each payer sets payment by its own policy, and many decline them outright.
Appropriate Use Criteria is no longer an active Medicare requirement
CMS paused implementation of the Appropriate Use Criteria program and rescinded the regulations at 42 CFR 414.94 in the CY 2024 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule. No AUC consultation modifier belongs on a Medicare MRI claim today.
Check your ordering workflow for this one. Practices still carry AUC prompts in EHR order sets and AUC steps in billing checklists, three years after the requirement went away. Adjacent screening codes carry their own live coverage rules, which our LDCT screening codes guide covers for lung cancer screening.
Retired and Nonexistent MRI Codes Still Circulating
Published MRI code lists sitting on page one of search results carry codes CPT retired years ago, alongside codes that have never existed in the code set. A claim built from one of those rejects on submission, and documentation quality doesn’t enter into it. Every code in the tables above was checked against the current code set for that reason.
Retired codes still appearing on published MRI lists
| Code | Invalid From | Replaced By |
|---|---|---|
| 77058 and 77059, breast MRI | January 1, 2019 | 77046 through 77049 |
| 77055, 77056, 77057, mammography | January 1, 2017 | 77065, 77066, 77067 |
| 76645, breast ultrasound | January 1, 2015 | 76641 complete, 76642 limited |
Codes published elsewhere that do not exist
| Code Published Elsewhere | Reality |
|---|---|
| 74186 and 74187 as MRA abdomen companions | CPT 74185 is a single code covering abdomen MRA with or without contrast. No companion codes exist |
| 73131 and 73133 as ankle MRI | Ankle MRI reports under the lower extremity joint family, 73721 through 73723 |
| 73505 and 73507 as foot MRI | Foot MRI reports under 73721 or 73718 depending on the clinical question |
| 77021 as unilateral breast MRI | CPT 77021 reports MR guidance for needle placement |
Descriptors published incorrectly on live pages
- CPT 70553 covers without and with contrast. Published lists calling it with-contrast-only describe 70552.
- CPT 74183 covers the abdomen. Lists labeling it pelvis describe 72197.
- CPT 73218 covers upper extremity non-joint. Lists labeling it shoulder describe 73221.
- CPT 73718 covers lower extremity non-joint. Lists calling it a bilateral knee study describe nothing in the code set.
- CPT 72197 covers without and with contrast. Lists calling it with-contrast-only describe 72196.
None of that requires a project to fix on your end. A chargemaster audit against the current code set takes an afternoon and shuts down a whole category of automatic denials before a payer sees them.
Why MRI Claims Get Denied and How to Fix Each One
Most MRI denials trace to a short list of repeatable errors. Each one maps to a reason code and, more to the point for your team, to a specific upstream fix that stops the next claim from failing the same way.
| Denial Cause | Typical Reason Code | Upstream Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong contrast code billed | CO-4 or medical review | Pull contrast status from the report, not the order |
| Missing component modifier | CO-4 | Build modifier rules from billing entity and place of service |
| Duplicate global billing | Duplicate claim denial | Written component agreement between facility and reading group |
| Guidance or study unbundled | CO-97 | Run an NCCI check against the current quarter file |
| Missing laterality | CO-16 | Flag unilateral extremity codes lacking RT or LT before submission |
| Diagnosis does not support study | CO-50 | Work with ordering providers on indication specificity |
| No active prior authorization | CO-197 | Verify at scheduling and track the expiration date |
| Authorized code differs from billed code | CO-197 | Request authorization for the code you will perform |
| Deleted code submitted | Front-end rejection | Annual chargemaster audit against the current code set |
Working one denial recovers one claim. Finding the pattern behind it stops the next 10. Categorize by reason code, appeal with documentation, and route the cause back to whoever can prevent it, whether that’s your front desk, your coder, or the ordering provider, which is what denial root-cause analysis is built to do.
One diagnostic question tells you where the problem sits. If next month’s report shows the same three denial categories, the cause is upstream of the appeal, and the claims stacking up in aging AR recovery are a symptom rather than the problem.
If the same MRI denial categories keep repeating on your reports, a review of the last several months of denials will show you which ones and what they’ve cost. ClaimMax runs that analysis as part of end-to-end revenue cycle work, and the report is yours whether or not anything comes of it.
MRI CPT Codes Cheat Sheet (2026 PDF)
The download collects every table on this page into one printable reference: the master contrast table with its 2026 status column, the code verification table, the modifier reference, both retired and nonexistent code tables, the ICD-10 pairing table, and the denial matrix. Coders search for an mri cpt codes pdf because scrolling a page at a workstation while a claim sits open doesn’t work.
The file carries its verification date inside the document, not only in the filename, so you can tell at a glance whether the copy on your desk is current. File: claimmax-mri-cpt-codes-cheat-sheet-2026.pdf
MRI CPT Codes: Frequently Asked Questions
What are the CPT codes for MRI?
MRI CPT codes divide into nine body-region families, each carrying three contrast variants. The highest-volume families are brain at 70551 through 70553, cervical spine at 72141, 72142, and 72156, lumbar spine at 72148, 72149, and 72158, abdomen at 74181 through 74183, and pelvis at 72195 through 72197. Contrast status selects which of the three codes in each family applies to a given study.
What is the CPT code for an MRI with or without contrast?
No single code covers both scenarios. Each body region carries three separate codes: one for a study performed without contrast, one for a study performed with contrast only, and one for a study performed without contrast followed by contrast and further sequences in the same session. Brain MRI uses 70551, 70552, and 70553 respectively. The radiologist’s report determines which applies.
Is CPT 73221 MRI?
Yes. CPT 73221 reports magnetic resonance imaging of any joint of the upper extremity performed without contrast material. The code covers the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand joints, and the specific joint imaged doesn’t change the code. Append RT or LT to identify the side, since payers require laterality on unilateral extremity studies.
Is CPT 72197 MRI?
Yes. CPT 72197 reports MRI of the pelvis performed without contrast material, followed by contrast material and further sequences in the same session. The code sits in the diagnostic radiology section alongside 72195 for the without-contrast study and 72196 for the with-contrast-only study. Sacrum and coccyx studies report under this same family.
Is CPT 72141 MRI?
Yes. CPT 72141 reports MRI of the cervical spinal canal and its contents performed without contrast material. The with-contrast-only code for the cervical region is 72142, and the without-and-with code is 72156, which sits outside the sequence where most coders expect to find it.
Is CPT code 78306 an MRI?
No. CPT 78306 reports a whole-body bone and joint imaging study and sits in the nuclear medicine subsection, not the MRI code range. Use 78300 for a limited area and 78305 for multiple areas. A three-phase study is 78315, and that isn’t a whole-body code even when the protocol includes whole-body planar imaging.
What is CPT code 74183 for MRI?
CPT 74183 reports MRI of the abdomen performed without contrast material, followed by contrast material and further sequences. It covers the abdomen only. Published lists that label 74183 as a pelvis code are wrong, and it isn’t a CT code either, despite sitting near the 74176 CT abdomen and pelvis series.
What is CPT 73222?
CPT 73222 reports MRI of any joint of the upper extremity performed with contrast material. It’s the middle code in the upper extremity joint family, with 73221 covering the without-contrast study and 73223 covering the without-and-with study. Only intravenous contrast qualifies a study for 73222.
What does CPT 76017 cover?
CPT 76017 reports MR safety medical physics exam customization performed on the day of the MRI exam. It accounts for extra scanner time and the interactive work of the medical physicist, the radiologist, and the technologist when an implant requires a customized protocol. Codes 76018 and 76019 cover implant electronics preparation and implant positioning, and all three can be reported together.
Do MRI CPT codes require prior authorization?
Most outpatient MRI studies require authorization through a commercial payer’s radiology benefit manager. The authorization has to name the code performed, so an approval for 70551 won’t cover a 70553 claim. Benefit manager code lists update on their own schedule, separate from the annual CPT release, so pull the current list per payer at least quarterly.
Is 77059 still a valid breast MRI code?
No. CPT retired 77058 and 77059 effective January 1, 2019 and replaced them with 77046 through 77049. Current breast MRI coding runs 77046 for unilateral without contrast, 77047 for bilateral without contrast, 77048 for unilateral without and with contrast, and 77049 for bilateral without and with. Claims carrying 77058 or 77059 reject on submission.
Is there a CPT code for MRI abdomen and pelvis together?
No. CPT publishes no combined MRI code for abdomen and pelvis. CT has 74176, 74177, and 74178 for that pairing, and MRI has no equivalent. When a session images both regions, report the abdomen code and the pelvis code separately, subject to payer policy and NCCI review, and document medical necessity for each region.
Our medical billing blog carries single-code guides for most of the MRI family, including rate tables and appeal language for the codes that generate the most denials.
How These MRI CPT Codes Were Verified
Our coding team checked every code on this page against the 2026 CPT code set. Contrast descriptors, retirement dates, and family assignments came from AMA and CMS source documents rather than from other published code lists, which is the step that produced the corrections in the retired and nonexistent codes section.
Sources
AMA, CPT 2026 code set announcement, September 11, 2025: AMA CPT 2026 code set
CMS, NCCI Policy Manual Chapter IX, Radiology Services, revised January 1, 2026: CMS NCCI Policy Manual Chapter IX
CMS, 2026 NCCI Medicare Policy Manual, all chapters: full 2026 NCCI manual
ACR, New MR Safety CPT Codes: ACR on MR safety codes
American Journal of Neuroradiology, CPT Codes for MRI Safety, a user’s guide: American Journal of Neuroradiology
ACR, 2026 radiology coding updates: ACR 2026 coding updates
One limitation worth stating. Full CPT descriptors are copyrighted by the American Medical Association, so this guide paraphrases them rather than reproducing them. If you’re building a chargemaster or an audit tool, confirm each descriptor against a licensed AMA CPT source before you load it.
Codes change every January and NCCI edit files change quarterly, so a coding reference goes stale faster than most documents on a billing team’s shared drive. ClaimMax reviews this page each quarter and on any mid-year CMS release that affects the MRI range, and the verification date above reflects the last check.
About the author
Mateo Vargas, CPC, CPB, leads editorial standards at ClaimMax RCM and has spent 14 years inside medical billing operations across radiology, cardiology, surgical specialties, and physician group practices. He writes on specialty coding, modifier discipline, payer-rule shifts, and denial root causes. AAPC-certified. HIPAA-trained.
Cross-reference every code against the AMA CPT code set, the CMS Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool, current CMS NCCI edits, and the Local Coverage Determinations published by your own Medicare Administrative Contractor before you submit. Rates vary by locality, facility type, and payer contract.
