CT Abdomen and Pelvis Without Contrast price: Medicare anchor and facility lever
Anchor for CT Abdomen and Pelvis Without Contrast - CPT 74176
$181.27
Professional (26) $81.19 plus technical (TC) $100.08.
Hospital OPPS facility anchor, this code billed alone: $243.77 (APC 5523, Level 3 Imaging without Contrast; national unadjusted, before wage-index adjustment).
Composite APC 8005: $226.07 (multi-study only, national unadjusted).
CPT 74176 is the abdomen and pelvis CT done without any contrast. People often price it by mistake when the order is for the contrast study, or the reverse. The two codes map to different hospital APCs, so matching the code is the step that keeps two quotes comparable.
CPT code
74176
Computed tomography, abdomen and pelvis; without contrast material
CPT 74176 is abdomen and pelvis CT without contrast. With contrast is 74177 and without followed by with is 74178. Confirm the ordered code before comparing quotes.
The codes this visit can be billed under
| CPT | PFS office or global | PFS facility (professional) | Global period | Hospital single-service APC | Minimum Medicare copay at hospital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74176 (this page) | $181.27 | $181.27 | not a surgical global | $243.77 (APC 5523) | $48.76 |
| 74177 | $294.96 | $294.96 | not a surgical global | $356.43 (APC 5572) | $71.29 |
| 74178 | $332.09 | $332.09 | not a surgical global | $356.43 (APC 5572) | $71.29 |
Billed alone in a hospital, 74176 maps to CY2026 APC 5523 at $243.77, with a minimum unadjusted copayment of $48.76. The with-contrast code 74177 maps to APC 5572 at $356.43, so a hospital estimate written for the wrong code can be off by more than a hundred dollars on the facility line alone.
The professional components are close: $81.19 for 74176 and $85.62 for 74177. Most of the difference between the two codes is technical, which is the part a hospital bills as the facility payment.
For a Medicare patient billed by a hospital, 74176 alone carries a minimum unadjusted facility copayment of $48.76, against $71.29 for the contrast study. At an imaging center billing globally, coinsurance applies once to the $181.27 global anchor rather than to a facility payment plus a separate reading.
This is the one code on the site where the composite pays less than the single-service rate: 74176 billed alone maps to APC 5523 at $243.77, while the CT without contrast composite on record, APC 8005, is $226.07 and applies only to qualifying multi-study claims. CMS Addendum B lists 74176 with status indicator Q3.
Inside and outside the 74176 anchor
Covered by the anchor
- Scanner time and image acquisition for abdomen and pelvis
- Radiologist interpretation and written report (professional component, modifier 26)
- Standard image storage and transmission to the ordering clinician
Billed outside it
- IV or oral contrast when a with-contrast code is billed instead
- Sedation, when used
- The ordering visit, labs, and follow-up visit
- A separate CT chest billed the same day
Why prices vary for CPT 74176
Without contrast there is no agent to administer and a single scan pass, so the fee schedule anchor is lower than for 74177. In a hospital the facility amount for 74176 sits one APC level below the contrast study when billed alone. The setting split is the usual one: a hospital facility payment plus a radiologist's fee, or an imaging-center global amount.
Ask for the price at a freestanding imaging center and at the hospital outpatient department using CPT 74176, and confirm whether the quote is global or facility-only.
Questions specific to CT abdomen/pelvis, no contrast
- Does the order say without contrast (74176), or could it be 74177 or 74178?
- Is any oral preparation part of the quoted price?
- Does a separate radiology group read the scan?
- If several CT scans are done the same day at a hospital, will a composite apply?
- If the order changes to the contrast study on the day, will you tell me before the scan, since the hospital APC changes as well?
CT Abdomen and Pelvis Without Contrast: billing questions
How much does skipping contrast change the anchor?
The code table on this page lists 74176 and 74177 side by side. In a hospital, 74176 maps to APC 5523 and 74177 to APC 5572 in CY2026; at an imaging center the global anchors differ too.
Why is the professional fee almost the same with or without contrast?
The radiologist's reading work is similar for both studies. The larger difference is in the technical side, including the contrast administration, which a hospital bills as its facility payment.
Can a hospital bill a composite for one abdomen CT?
Composite APCs apply when several qualifying imaging services are billed on one claim. A single 74176 billed alone uses the single-service APC.
What is the Medicare hospital copayment for 74176?
In the CY2026 OPPS Addendum B, 74176 billed alone maps to APC 5523 with a minimum unadjusted copayment of $48.76, before wage-index adjustment. The radiologist's coinsurance is a separate amount on the professional bill.