Low-dose chest CT performed without contrast specifically to screen eligible current or former smokers for lung cancer.
- Medicare
- $136.28
- Work RVU
- 1.05
- Global, days
- Region
- Other
Documentation requirements
What must appear in the operative or office note to support the claim.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in 3 cited references ↓
- Patient age within the covered range
- Pack-year history and current smoking status or quit date
- Statement that the patient has no signs or symptoms of lung cancer
- Shared decision-making visit before the first screen
- Ordering practitioner NPI on the order
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 3 cited references ↓
71271 is the low-dose CT used for lung cancer screening. It is a preventive service, not a diagnostic study. It is not used for symptoms, injuries, or follow-up of a known nodule; those go under diagnostic chest CT codes.
An orthopedic practice does not order screening CTs. It matters to you in two ways. A screening CT can turn up incidental findings that include the thoracic spine, such as compression fractures, which may lead to a referral. And patients sometimes ask whether their pre-op imaging "counts" as screening. It does not.
Medicare covers screening for patients aged 50 to 77 with at least a 20 pack-year history who smoke now or quit within the last 15 years, under its lung cancer screening national coverage determination. The first screen requires a shared decision-making visit, which is billed separately with G0296. The order must include specific eligibility elements. Missing pack-years or quit date is the classic denial.
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 (1.05) is the surgeon's own effort — the figure physician pay and productivity targets are built on. The total RVU (4.08) adds practice overhead and malpractice, and is what drives the Medicare payment below.
| Work RVU | 1.05 |
| Practice expense RVU | 2.95 |
| Malpractice RVU | 0.08 |
| Total RVU | 4.08 |
| Medicare national rate | $136.28 |
| 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 | $136.28 |
HOPD (APC 5522) Hospital outpatient department | $106.81 |
Common denial reasons
The recurring reasons claims for CPT 71271 get rejected.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓
- Pack-years or quit date missing from the order
- Patient outside the covered age range
- Symptomatic patient billed under the screening code
- No shared decision-making visit before the first screen
- Screening repeated sooner than the annual limit
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 3 cited references ↓
01Who qualifies for 71271 under Medicare?
02Can 71271 be used for a pre-op chest CT?
03What is G0296 and does it go with 71271?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources.
- 01CMS Physician Fee Schedule 2026
- 02cms.govhttps://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/fee-schedules/physician
- 03Medicare National Coverage Determination 210.14, Lung Cancer Screening with Low Dose Computed Tomography
Mira Scribe
If a vertebral fracture is found on a screening CT and the patient is referred, Mira Scribe captures the incidental finding and the referral source in the spine visit note.
See how Mira captures CPT 71271 documentation