Ultrasound Abdomen price: Medicare anchor and facility lever
Anchor for Ultrasound Abdomen - CPT 76700
$112.60
Professional (26) $37.99 plus technical (TC) $74.61.
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 complete abdominal ultrasound looks at several organs in one study, which is what separates CPT 76700 from the limited study, 76705. The difference in price between the two codes is small at an imaging center and zero on the hospital facility line, so the question that moves the bill is usually the setting, not the scope.
CPT code
76700
Ultrasound, abdominal, real time with image documentation; complete
CPT 76700 is a complete abdominal ultrasound. A limited study (single organ or quadrant) is 76705 with a different anchor.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76700 (this page) | $112.60 | $112.60 | not a surgical global | $106.81 (APC 5522) | $21.37 |
| 76705 | $84.80 | $84.80 | not a surgical global | $106.81 (APC 5522) | $21.37 |
Billed alone in a hospital, 76700 maps to APC 5522 at $106.81, the same single-service APC as the limited study 76705, with a minimum unadjusted copayment of $21.37. In an imaging center or office the global anchors differ: $112.60 for the complete study against $84.80 for the limited one.
That pattern explains a quote that looks odd at first: a hospital may charge the same facility amount whether the study is complete or limited, while an office quote changes with the scope. When comparing, line up the professional fee and the facility amount separately for the hospital quote.
A Medicare patient billed by a hospital for 76700 alone sees a minimum unadjusted facility copayment of $21.37 before the reading physician's coinsurance. In an office or imaging center the complete study is one global amount, $112.60, of which $37.99 is the professional component. The technical side is the larger part, so the building, not the reader, drives most of the price.
Inside and outside the 76700 anchor
Covered by the anchor
- Sonographer time and image acquisition
- 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
- Repeat or limited follow-up scans billed separately
Why prices vary for CPT 76700
Ultrasound has no contrast or radiation overhead, so the PFS global amount is modest. The facility-type gap still exists because a hospital bills the OPPS ultrasound composite for the facility portion, while an office or imaging center bills the PFS global or nonfacility amount. Where the probe is placed matters less than who bills the facility portion.
Ask whether the ultrasound can be done in the physician office or imaging center rather than the hospital outpatient department, and confirm the cash price for the complete study (76700) versus a limited study (76705).
Questions specific to Abdominal ultrasound
- Is the order for a complete study (76700) or a limited one (76705)?
- Is this quote global, or will the reading physician bill separately?
- If the sonographer images an extra area, will a second code be billed?
- Is the study done in a hospital department or an office, and does the price say which?
Ultrasound Abdomen: billing questions
Is a limited abdominal ultrasound always less expensive than a complete one?
At an imaging center or office the global anchor for the limited study is lower. In a hospital the single-service facility APC is the same for both codes in CY2026, so only the professional fee changes. A hospital quote may therefore barely move between the two.
Why does ultrasound cost less than CT or MRI?
Medicare's fee schedule assigns ultrasound smaller relative values, and the hospital APC for 76700 is the lower imaging level. The anchors on this page are Medicare payments, but they show the order of magnitude the cash price should be compared against.
What if my report describes a smaller study than the code billed?
Ask the billing office whether the code billed, complete (76700) or limited (76705), matches the study described in the report. That is a billing question; the clinical content of the report is a question for the ordering clinician.
Is the reading fee for an abdominal ultrasound billed separately?
In a hospital it usually is: the hospital bills the facility service and the reading physician bills the professional component, $37.99 as a CY2026 Medicare anchor. In an office that owns the equipment, one global amount can cover both. Ask which applies before you book.