CPT Code 70260 — What It Means and What Medicare Pays

CPT code · Imaging · Typically billed in: Imaging center or hospital

What CPT code 70260 means: Skull X-ray with multiple views.

Seeing CPT code 70260 on your medical bill?
This code is only one part of the picture — your bill, EOB, insurance adjustments, units, and other charges may affect what you actually owe. MD Bill Check reads the codes on your document, checks the bill in context, and flags items that may be worth reviewing.

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What Medicare pays for CPT code 70260

What CPT code 70260 costs: Medicare's 2025 national average payment for CPT code 70260 is $43.34.

Medicare national average (2025): $43.34

Treat this as a reference point, not a ceiling. It is what Medicare pays nationally before any local adjustment — private insurers negotiate their own rates, and a hospital's list price for the same code is often several times higher. A charge far above this number is not automatically an error, but it is a fair thing to ask about.

How many units of CPT code 70260 should appear on one day

Units normally expected per day: Medicare normally expects at most 1 unit of CPT code 70260 per patient per day. More than 1 unit a day is clinically unlikely rather than impossible, so a higher count is usually reviewed by hand rather than denied outright.

If your bill shows more units of CPT code 70260 for a single date of service than that, it is worth asking the billing office to explain the count — duplicate lines and unit-entry mistakes are among the most common medical-billing errors.

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Frequently asked questions about CPT code 70260

What does CPT code 70260 mean on a medical bill?

Skull X-ray with multiple views. Bills group it under "Imaging", and it is typically provided in this setting: Imaging center or hospital.

How much does CPT code 70260 cost?

Medicare's 2025 national average payment for CPT code 70260 is $43.34. That figure is a public Medicare benchmark, not a cap on what a provider may charge you — commercial insurers negotiate their own rates and hospital list prices are often several times higher.

How many units of CPT code 70260 can be billed per day?

Medicare's Medically Unlikely Edits normally expect at most 1 unit of CPT code 70260 per patient per day. More than 1 unit a day is clinically unlikely rather than impossible, so a higher count is usually reviewed by hand rather than denied outright.

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