Revenue code 0320
Radiology, diagnostic
The hospital's charge for diagnostic imaging: x-rays, and in many hospitals the technical side of CT (0350), MRI (0610) and ultrasound (0402) too. It is the facility half of an imaging charge. The radiologist who read the images bills separately for the professional half.
Where this line goes wrong
Two charges per scan is normal, but check they match
A CT of the abdomen should show as one facility line (74177 under 0350) and one radiologist line (74177 with modifier 26). Two facility lines for one scan, or a radiologist charge for a scan the facility did not bill, is an error.
With, without, or both
CT and MRI have separate codes for scans without contrast, with contrast, and both. A scan done both ways should be billed with the single combined code (74178 for abdomen and pelvis), not as two separate scans.
Views and repeats
X-rays are coded by number of views. A repeat because the first image was unusable is not normally billable to you.
Want to know if this line is right on your own bill? Upload it to a free mediloop account. An automatic first look reads the charges and shows what looks worth questioning, usually in about a minute.
Check my bill for freeCheck it, then ask
- 1
Ask for the itemized bill and the imaging report, and match each billed study to a report.
- 2
Check that the facility line and the radiologist line describe the same study.
- 3
For CT and MRI, check whether a 'with and without contrast' scan has been billed as two scans.
The full walkthrough for this kind of bill: You got an ER bill.
Upload the bill to a free mediloop account. An automatic first look reads the charges and shows what looks worth questioning, usually in about a minute. If you want a specialist to dispute it for you, it is a flat $129, refunded in full if the bill isn't lowered by at least $129.
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People also ask
Why did I get a separate bill from a radiologist I never met?
The radiologist read your images and bills for that professional service. It is legitimate, but if the radiologist was out of network for an emergency visit, federal surprise billing rules limit what you can be charged.
Sources
- CMS, Medicare Claims Processing Manual, chapter 25 (UB-04 form locators and revenue codes)
- CMS, No Surprises Act, what patients can expect
This page explains a billing code in general terms. It is not a coding, legal or medical opinion about your bill, and the code descriptions are mediloop's own plain-English summaries, not the official CPT descriptors, which are owned by the American Medical Association. Whether a charge was correct depends on the record of your visit and your payer's rules.