Summary & Overview

CPT 0071T: MRgFUS Ablation of Uterine Leiomyomata ≤200 cc

CPT code 0071T designates magnetic resonance imaging guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) to heat and destroy noncancerous uterine leiomyomata with total volume up to 200 cc. This minimally invasive, image-guided thermal ablation technique is performed with the patient inside an MRI scanner, which provides real-time temperature monitoring and precise targeting. Nationally, the code represents an advanced, device-dependent therapeutic option for symptomatic uterine fibroids that can affect utilization, imaging capacity, and specialty practice patterns.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the clinical context for MRgFUS, common sites of service, and how the service maps to billing workflows. The publication summarizes benchmark considerations for adoption and utilization, outlines relevant payer coverage patterns where available, and highlights policy and coding updates that influence reimbursement and documentation requirements. Clinical implications for patient selection, procedure setting, and imaging resource needs are discussed to give payers and providers a national perspective on implementation and billing for CPT code 0071T.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicare0071TCPTMRgFUSuterine-fibroidsimage-guided-ablationinterventional-radiologythermal-ablationMRI-guided

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 0071T describes a procedure using magnetic resonance imaging guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) to thermally ablate a noncancerous uterine growth (leiomyomata or uterine fibroids) with a total volume not greater than 200 cc. The procedure is performed with the patient positioned inside an MRI scanner that monitors temperature and guides precise targeting of the fibroid tissue.

Service type: Image-guided thermal ablation of uterine leiomyomata (MRgFUS)

Typical site of service: Hospital outpatient department or freestanding imaging/procedure center with MRI capability

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 38-year-old woman with symptomatic uterine leiomyomata (fibroids) presents with heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pressure, and bulk symptoms refractory to medical therapy. Pelvic MRI confirms one or multiple intramural and subserosal fibroids with combined treated target volume ≤200 cc. After multidisciplinary consultation, the patient is scheduled for magnetic resonance imaging guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) performed with the patient supine inside an MRI scanner. Pre-procedure workflow includes informed consent, MRI safety screening, IV access for conscious sedation or monitored anesthesia care as indicated, placement of a urinary catheter if required, and acquisition of MRI planning sequences that identify fibroid location, size, and adjacent bowel or sacral nerve proximity. During the procedure, MRI thermometry is used to target sonications to raise tissue temperature and create discrete zones of thermal necrosis within the fibroid; treatment is repeated in sonication cycles until the planned ablation volume is achieved or until clinical endpoints are met. Post-procedure MRI confirms nonperfused (nonviable) tissue within the treated fibroid volume. Typical recovery includes brief observation in a post-anesthesia area and discharge the same day with analgesics and return precautions. Typical site of service is an outpatient imaging or ambulatory surgical center with MRI capability or hospital outpatient department. Service type: image-guided, noninvasive thermal ablation treatment using focused ultrasound under MRI guidance for benign uterine leiomyomata.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`00`	No modifier reported; full global service	Rarely used; default when no specific modifier applies.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the procedure requires substantially greater work than typical (document justification for increased reimbursement).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when medically necessary anesthesia that is greater than local or minimal is required for MRgFUS.
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the physician interpretation or physician professional work separate from technical facility component.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when a reduced / abbreviated procedure is performed and full service is not completed.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is started but terminated due to extenuating circumstances or safety concerns.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons with different specialties perform distinct portions of the procedure.
`66`	Surgical team approach	Use when a team of surgeons is documented as providing the service.
`73`	Discontinued outpatient hospital/ASC prior to anesthesia	Use when the patient leaves before anesthesia for the planned outpatient MRgFUS.
`78`	Return to OR for related procedure during global period	Use if a related return to the operating room is required for a complication during the global period.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon is documented and meets payor criteria for billing.
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when a minimal assistant surgeon role is documented per payor policy.
`82`	Assistant surgeon (qualified resident)	Use when a qualified resident performs the assistant role under supervision and payor allows.
`AD`	Medical supervision by a physician: more than four concurrent anesthesia procedures	Use when supervising multiple concurrent anesthesia cases that include MRgFUS sedation/anesthesia.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`261QM0800X`	Interventional Radiology	Commonly performs image-guided noninvasive uterine fibroid ablation and MRI-guided procedures.
`207V00000X`	Obstetrics & Gynecology	Gynecologic surgeons who refer, evaluate, and may perform or co-manage MRgFUS treatment.
`2086S0102X`	Radiology (Diagnostic)	Diagnostic radiologists provide MRI planning, thermometry interpretation, and image guidance.
`174400000X`	Anesthesiology	Providers delivering monitored anesthesia care or sedation for patient comfort during MRgFUS.
`261QP2000X`	Vascular & Interventional Radiology	Subspecialty coding for interventionalists involved in focused ultrasound procedures.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`D25.0`	Intramural leiomyoma of uterus	Common location for fibroids treated with MRgFUS when volume and accessibility are appropriate.
`D25.1`	Subserosal leiomyoma of uterus	Subserosal fibroids may be targeted when accessible and within size criteria for MRgFUS.
`D25.2`	Submucous leiomyoma of uterus	Submucosal fibroids can cause heavy bleeding; selection for MRgFUS depends on proximity to endometrium and risk of complications.
`D25.9`	Leiomyoma of uterus, unspecified	General diagnosis code used when specific location is not documented; clinically relevant for procedure indication.
`N92.6`	Irregular excessive menstruation, unspecified	Symptom code often associated with fibroids and an indication for fibroid-directed therapy such as MRgFUS.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`0071T`	Magnetic resonance imaging guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) to heat and destroy uterine leiomyomata, total volume ≤200 cc	Primary procedure code describing the noninvasive MRI-guided focused ultrasound ablation of uterine fibroids.
`72197`	Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, pelvis; without contrast material, followed by contrast and further sequences	Used for pre-procedure pelvic MRI planning sequences and post-ablation MRI to assess nonperfusion when billed separately per facility rules.
`01936`	Anesthesia for procedures on the lower abdomen; not otherwise specified — anesthesia time-based code (example for monitored anesthesia care)	Billed when monitored anesthesia care or general anesthesia is medically required for MRgFUS and documented with time.
`99152`	Moderate sedation services provided by the same physician performing the procedure (initial 15 minutes)	Use when the primary operator provides moderate (conscious) sedation during the procedure, if payor allows separate reporting.
`76000`	Fluoroscopy (separate) and guidance — limited use example	Although MRgFUS is MRI-guided, ancillary imaging guidance codes may be used for complementary procedures if performed and documented.
`77021`	Magnetic resonance guidance for needle placement (separate procedure)	May be billed if separate MRI guidance services are performed for device placement or adjunct procedures in the same session.