78199 Medicaid reimbursement rate by state (2026)
Imaging and radiology. Medicaid pays a median of $70.00 for 78199 across 7 states, from $7.00 in Minnesota to $224.30 in Montana.
- States publishing
- 7
- National median
- $70.00units vary by state
- Lowest
- $7.00Minnesota
- Highest
- $224.30Montana
What does Medicaid pay for 78199?
7 state Medicaid programs publish a fee-for-service rate for 78199. The national median is $70.00 (units differ between states). Montana pays the most, $224.30, and Minnesota the least, $7.00 per base unit, a 32.0x spread.
78199 rate by state: highest, middle and lowest
One like-for-like fee-for-service rate per state, ranked. The workspace lists all 7 states with every variant, modifier and effective date.
How to read this table
- Order. States are listed from the highest published rate to the lowest. No single unit is shared by 8 or more states for 78199, so the order is by published amount and is not a like-for-like rank.
- Medicaid rate. The most the state's fee-for-service program pays for one unit, as published. 3 of the 7 states list more than one rate for 78199, by modifier, provider type or setting; the table shows the one that matches the provider level and setting used across states, without add-ons.
- Unit. Of the 7 states, 2 publish 78199 per base unit and 1 per percent of billed charges, and 4 schedules print no unit at all (a flat amount per service).
- Per hour. 78199 is not billed in time units in these states, so no hourly figure is shown.
- Managed-care plans. The rule the state sets for its plans on this rate. What each rule means is explained below.
- % of Medicare. No Medicare physician fee schedule amount is on file for 78199, so there is no percentage.
- Source and date. Each Source link opens the state's own document; “since” is the date the rate took effect.
Why 78199 rates differ between states
Published rates for 78199 run from $7.00 in Minnesota to $224.30 in Montana. The two publish it in different units (no unit printed versus base unit), so part of that gap is the unit rather than the price. Half the states pay more than the median of $70.00 and half pay less. The usual reasons for a spread like this in radiology rates:
- Imaging fees are split into a professional component (the reading) and a technical component (the equipment and staff), and states publish one, the other or a global amount.
- Some states pay hospitals for the technical component through an outpatient system and pay only the professional component from the physician schedule.
- Advanced imaging such as CT, MRI and PET is often under separate pricing and prior-authorization policies that vary from state to state.
Timing matters too. None of the states changed its rate for 78199 in 2026, while 5 states still pay a rate that took effect in 2022 or earlier. A state that has not updated its rate in years will drift down the ranking as others raise theirs.
What managed-care plans pay for 78199
Most Medicaid members are in managed-care plans, and plans don't publish their provider fee schedules. For 78199, the public signal is the rule each state sets for its plans, recorded on each rate above.
In 2 states, the published rate binds plans: a floor, a pass-through or a state-set rate. In 1 state, plans negotiate and the published rate is a benchmark or out-of-network default. The rule for the remaining 4 states is not classified yet.
- Plans must pay at least the published rate (2 states). The published rate is your floor. Negotiate up from it, and if a plan pays less, the contract provision is the basis for a payment dispute.
- Plans negotiate; the published rate applies out of network (1 state). In-network rates can be above or below the published rate. The published rate is the benchmark both sides know, and the fallback if no contract is signed.
Plan-negotiated rates are never estimated here. To see the rule and its citation for a particular state, open that state's managed-care page, for example Montana managed care.
Units and billing for 78199
78199 is a CPT radiology code in the radiology line, billed mostly by radiology groups, imaging centers and hospitals. Imaging codes are paid per study and split into a professional component (the reading, modifier 26) and a technical component (the equipment and staff, modifier TC). A global amount covers both.
Imaging is billed per study, with modifier 26 for the professional component and TC for the technical component; a claim without either is paid at the global amount where the state publishes one. Contrast agents and radiopharmaceuticals are usually billed separately under their own codes.
Before billing, confirm the rate, unit and any modifier with the state's current schedule or the plan: the amounts here are as published, not a guarantee of payment.
Frequently asked questions
What does Medicaid pay for 78199?
It depends on the state. Of the 7 states with a published fee-for-service rate, the median is $70.00. Montana pays the most ($224.30) and Minnesota the least ($7.00 per base unit).
Which state pays the highest Medicaid rate for 78199?
Montana, at $224.30, effective 2025-07-01.
Which state pays the lowest Medicaid rate for 78199?
Minnesota, at $7.00 per base unit, effective 2025-01-01. It publishes the code in a different unit from Montana, so compare per unit with care.
What unit is 78199 billed in?
Of the 7 states, 2 publish 78199 per base unit and 1 per percent of billed charges, and 4 schedules print no unit at all (a flat amount per service).
Do managed-care plans pay the same rate for 78199?
Not necessarily. In 2 states, the published rate binds plans: a floor, a pass-through or a state-set rate. In 1 state, plans negotiate and the published rate is a benchmark or out-of-network default. The rule for the remaining 4 states is not classified yet. Each rule is cited to the plan contract, statute or notice in the workspace.