Ultrasound Abdomen Limited price: Medicare anchor and facility lever
Anchor for Ultrasound Abdomen Limited - CPT 76705
$84.80
Professional (26) $27.83 plus technical (TC) $56.97.
Hospital OPPS facility anchor, this code billed alone: $106.81 (APC 5522, Level 2 Imaging without Contrast; national unadjusted, before wage-index adjustment).
Composite APC 8004: $300.57 (multi-study only, national unadjusted).
A limited abdominal ultrasound looks at one organ, one quadrant, or follows up a prior finding, and it is billed as CPT 76705 instead of the complete 76700. The scope is smaller, but in a hospital the facility amount does not shrink with it. That is the main thing to know when a limited-study quote looks high.
CPT code
76705
Ultrasound, abdominal, real time with image documentation; limited (for example single organ, quadrant, or follow-up)
CPT 76705 is a limited abdominal study (single organ, quadrant, or follow-up). A complete study is 76700 with a different anchor. Confirm which one was ordered.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76705 (this page) | $84.80 | $84.80 | not a surgical global | $106.81 (APC 5522) | $21.37 |
| 76700 | $112.60 | $112.60 | not a surgical global | $106.81 (APC 5522) | $21.37 |
In CY2026 both 76705 and 76700 map to hospital APC 5522 at $106.81 when billed alone, with a minimum unadjusted copayment of $21.37. The difference shows up only in the professional fee and in the imaging-center global anchors: $84.80 for the limited study against $112.60 for the complete one.
For a patient choosing a setting, that makes the limited study the clearest case on this site of a code where an office or imaging center's global price can sit well below the hospital facility line on its own.
For a Medicare patient, the minimum unadjusted hospital copayment for 76705 is $21.37, the same as for the complete study, because both codes share an APC. The reading physician's coinsurance is figured on $27.83, which is lower than for the complete study. In an office, coinsurance applies once to the $84.80 global anchor.
CMS Addendum B lists 76705 with status indicator Q3. The ultrasound composite on record, APC 8004, applies only when several qualifying ultrasound studies are billed on one claim; a single limited study is paid at single-service APC 5522.
Inside and outside the 76705 anchor
Covered by the anchor
- Sonographer time and image acquisition for the limited study
- Interpreting physician interpretation and written report
- Standard image storage
Billed outside it
- Doppler studies billed under separate codes when ordered
- The ordering visit and follow-up visit
- A complete study billed under 76700 instead
Why prices vary for CPT 76705
A limited study pays below the complete abdominal study because the scope is smaller. The facility-type gap remains: a hospital bills the OPPS ultrasound composite for the facility portion when composite rules are met, while an office or imaging center bills the global amount.
Ask whether the limited study can be done in the physician office or imaging center, and confirm the cash price for 76705 rather than the complete-study code.
Questions specific to Limited abdominal ultrasound
- Does the order say limited (76705) or complete (76700)?
- Which organ or area is the limited study for, and does the quote name it?
- Is the reading included?
- If the study is a follow-up, is it at the same facility as the first one, and does that change the price?
- If the study is a follow-up, will the same code (76705) be billed as before, and is the price the same?
- Which organ or quadrant will the limited study cover, and will the report name it so the code can be matched?
Ultrasound Abdomen Limited: billing questions
Why is my hospital quote the same for a limited and a complete ultrasound?
In CY2026 the hospital single-service APC is the same for 76705 and 76700. Only the professional fee differs, so the hospital total may barely move.
When is a study billed as limited?
The limited code covers a single organ, a single quadrant, or a follow-up study. The report should support the code billed; if the bill and report disagree, ask the billing office.
Is the limited study anchor lower at an imaging center?
Yes. The global fee schedule anchor for 76705 is lower than for 76700, so an imaging center's price should reflect the smaller scope.
Why might a limited ultrasound cost a Medicare patient the same at a hospital as a complete one?
Because in CY2026 both 76705 and 76700 map to hospital APC 5522, the facility copayment is the same. Only the reading physician's coinsurance differs, since the professional component is smaller for the limited study.