Single-view radiographic survey covering two or more joints in the same study — billed once regardless of how many joints are imaged.

Verified May 8, 2026 · 8 sources ↓

Medicare: $47.43
Total RVUs: 1.42
Global, days
Region: Multi-region

Drawn from CMSAAPCMdclarityAssociationdatabaseNovitas

Documentation requirements

What must appear in the operative or office note to support the claim.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in 8 cited references ↓

List every joint surveyed by name in the order and report (e.g., bilateral MCP joints, bilateral PIP joints, bilateral MTPs)
State that only a single view was obtained per joint — multi-view series should be coded with joint-specific radiograph codes instead
Clinical indication tying the survey to the diagnosis (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthropathy, erosive osteoarthritis)
Radiologist or interpreting physician attestation with date and time of read
If billing professional component only (modifier 26), document facility name and that the equipment is facility-owned

Applicable modifiers

Modifiers commonly billed with this code.

Source · AMA CPT modifier descriptors · CMS NCCI Policy Manual

26 Professional component 52 Reduced services 59 Distinct service 76 Repeat, same physician 77 Repeat, another physician

What this code covers

Source · Editorial summary grounded in 8 cited references ↓

77077 covers a single-view X-ray of each of two or more joints captured in one survey study. The code is used most often for rheumatologic or polyarticular workups — bilateral hands, bilateral feet, or multi-joint screenings for arthritis, erosive disease, or deformity assessment. Each joint gets one view; the entire study bills as a single unit.

The MUE for 77077 is 1 per date of service per patient. That means even if you image bilateral hands AND bilateral feet in the same session, Medicare allows only one line item for 77077. Attempting to bill 77077 twice on the same date — once for hands, once for feet — will be denied. If the clinical need exists for a second anatomic region with a distinct separately reportable code, use that region-specific code instead.

Modifier 26 is required when the radiologist reads a film taken at a hospital or outpatient facility and bills only for the professional component. The global rate applies in a freestanding or office-owned imaging setting where the practice owns both the equipment and the read. Always specify the joints surveyed in the order narrative — audit reviewers and payers flag vague documentation that doesn't name the joints.

RVU & reimbursement

Component RVUs and Medicare national rate. Actual payment varies by GPCI locality.

Source · CMS Physician Fee Schedule, RVU26A · January 2026

Work RVU	0.32
Practice expense RVU	1.07
Malpractice RVU	0.03
Total RVU	1.42
Medicare national rate	$47.43
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	$47.43
HOPD (APC 5522) Hospital outpatient department	$106.81

Common denial reasons

The recurring reasons claims for CPT 77077 get rejected.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓

Duplicate billing — submitting 77077 twice on the same date for different anatomic regions exceeds the MUE of 1 per day
Missing modifier 26 when the read is performed at a hospital or outpatient facility the practice does not own
Vague operative or radiology report that does not specify which joints were included in the survey
Upcoding to 77077 when only one joint was imaged — single-joint studies require region-specific radiograph codes
Billing 77077 alongside single-joint extremity codes (e.g., 73140, 73600) for the same joints on the same date without a distinct clinical justification

Frequently asked questions

Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 8 cited references ↓

01Can I bill 77077 twice if I image both bilateral hands and bilateral feet in the same visit?

No. Medicare's MUE for 77077 is 1 per date of service. Bill one unit of 77077 covering all joints surveyed that day. If you need to capture a second distinct anatomic series with its own region-specific code, use that code instead of a second 77077.

02When do I use modifier 26 with 77077?

Use modifier 26 when the radiologist or interpreting physician provides only the professional read and the imaging equipment is owned by a hospital or outpatient facility. Bill the global rate (no modifier) only when your practice owns the equipment and performs the read.

03How many joints need to be imaged to use 77077?

Two or more. If only one joint is imaged, 77077 does not apply — use the appropriate single-joint extremity radiograph code (e.g., 73140 for fingers, 73600 for ankle).

04Does 77077 cover multiple views per joint, or strictly one view per joint?

Strictly one view per joint. If the clinical scenario requires two or more views of a given joint, the region-specific multi-view radiograph code (e.g., 73610 for complete ankle) is more appropriate than 77077.

05Which specialties most commonly bill 77077?

Diagnostic Radiology, Orthopedic Surgery, and Podiatry account for the largest share of 77077 claims per CMS Physician Utilization data. Rheumatology practices order it frequently but often bill the professional component only via their interpreting radiologist.

06Is 77077 payable in an ASC setting?

No. The ASC payment for 77077 is packaged — it is not separately reimbursed in the ASC setting. HOPD has a separate payment; see the Site of Service comparison table.

Sources & references

Editorial content was developed using the following public sources. Last verified May 8, 2026.

Mira AI Scribe

Mira's AI scribe captures the specific joints surveyed from dictation — bilateral MCPs, bilateral MTPs, wrist-to-finger series — and flags when more than one joint region is described, alerting the coder to the single-unit MUE before the claim is built. This prevents the most common 77077 denial: duplicate billing across two anatomic regions on the same date.

See how Mira captures CPT 77077 documentation