Radiographic study used to estimate a child's skeletal maturity, usually from a single view of the left hand and wrist compared against standard atlases.
- Medicare
- $25.38
- Work RVU
- 0.19
- Global, days
- Region
- Hand
Documentation requirements
What must appear in the operative or office note to support the claim.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in 2 cited references ↓
- Order with clinical reason tied to treatment planning, such as limb length discrepancy or scoliosis
- View obtained, typically PA left hand and wrist
- Reference standard used for the reading
- Estimated skeletal age compared with chronological age
- Signed interpretation by the reading physician
- How the result affects the treatment plan
Applicable modifiers
Modifiers commonly billed with this code.
Source · AMA CPT modifier descriptors · CMS NCCI Policy Manual
What this code covers
Source · Editorial summary grounded in 2 cited references ↓
Pediatric orthopedists order the bone age study (77072) to estimate how much growth a child has left, which drives real treatment decisions: timing an epiphysiodesis for limb length discrepancy, deciding whether a scoliosis curve is likely to progress, or planning guided growth for angular deformity.
The study is usually one PA view of the hand and wrist, read against a standard such as Greulich and Pyle. Do not also bill a hand X-ray (73120, 73130) for the same film. If the child has a separate hand complaint and a full hand series is shot for that reason, document both indications clearly.
The ortho practice can bill the global service if it owns the X-ray equipment and the physician reads and reports the bone age. If radiology reads it, the practice bills TC or nothing at all, depending on who owns the machine. Diagnosis coding should point to the growth-related problem, such as leg length discrepancy or scoliosis, not a vague growth code.
RVU & reimbursement
Component RVUs and Medicare national rate. Actual payment varies by GPCI locality.
Source · CMS Physician Fee Schedule, RVU26A · January 2026
Work RVU vs. total RVU
The work RVU (0.19) is the surgeon's own effort — the figure physician pay and productivity targets are built on. The total RVU (0.76) adds practice overhead and malpractice, and is what drives the Medicare payment below.
| Work RVU | 0.19 |
| Practice expense RVU | 0.55 |
| Malpractice RVU | 0.02 |
| Total RVU | 0.76 |
| Medicare national rate | $25.38 |
| Global period | days |
Payment by site of service
Medicare pays different rates by setting. HOPD typically pays substantially more than ASC for the same procedure.
Source · CMS OPPS Addendum B·ASC HCPCS payment rates·2026
| Setting | Medicare rate (national) |
|---|---|
Office (PFS non-facility) Procedure performed in physician's office | $25.38 |
HOPD (APC 5522) Hospital outpatient department | $106.81 |
Common denial reasons
The recurring reasons claims for CPT 77072 get rejected.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓
- Billed with a hand or wrist X-ray for the same single image
- Diagnosis code does not support growth assessment
- No separate written interpretation
- Repeated more often than the payer considers necessary without a documented change in management
- Global billed when another provider read the film
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 2 cited references ↓
01Can you bill 77072 and 73120 together?
02What diagnosis supports a bone age study in orthopedics?
03Who can bill the interpretation for 77072?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources.
- 01CMS Physician Fee Schedule 2026
- 02cms.govhttps://www.cms.gov/medicare/coding-billing/national-correct-coding-initiative-ncci-edits
Mira Scribe
Mira Scribe ties the bone age result to the treatment decision in the visit note, such as timing of epiphysiodesis, so the medical necessity reads clearly.
See how Mira captures CPT 77072 documentation