Summary & Overview
CPT 0648T: Quantitative MRI Tissue Composition Analysis, Single Organ
CPT code 0648T defines a quantitative MRI service that acquires, processes, transmits, and interprets imaging data to assess tissue composition in a single organ. The code captures advanced image analysis beyond routine MRI sequences and represents an emerging diagnostic tool with implications for precision medicine, disease characterization, and treatment monitoring. Nationally, adoption of quantitative MRI techniques affects imaging workflows, reimbursement policy, and value-based measurement of imaging outcomes.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise explanation of what the code represents, expected clinical contexts for use, and how this service is typically delivered in outpatient imaging settings. The publication outlines standard components billed under the code (data acquisition, preparation, transmission, interpretation and reporting) and summarizes common billing modifiers where available.
This resource provides benchmarks and policy-relevant context for stakeholders monitoring coverage and utilization of advanced MRI analytics. Topics addressed include clinical applications of tissue composition quantification, typical sites of service, payer coverage landscape, and practical coding considerations. Data not available in the input for associated taxonomies, specific ICD-10 diagnoses, and related codes is noted where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 0648T describes a quantitative MRI analysis of tissue composition limited to a single organ. The service includes acquisition, preparation, transmission of imaging data, and a professional interpretation and report of quantitative tissue composition metrics.
Service Type: Quantitative MRI diagnostic imaging and image analysis
Typical Site of Service: Hospital outpatient imaging center, freestanding MRI clinic, or other outpatient imaging facility
Data not available in the input for payers, associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, related codes, and service line.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 62-year-old male with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and rising ALT/AST is referred for quantitative tissue composition analysis of the liver using MRI to assess hepatic steatosis and iron deposition. The clinical workflow begins with an outpatient order from a hepatologist or gastroenterologist. The patient arrives at the imaging center; technologist reviews history, screens for MRI contraindications, and obtains informed consent. The MRI technologist performs the organ-limited quantitative sequence protocol (multiparametric MRI for liver fat fraction and R2*/iron), acquires raw data, and transmits images to a radiologist. The radiologist performs image processing and quantitative analysis, interprets results, and generates a structured report with quantitative liver fat fraction and iron metrics. The finalized report is routed back to the ordering provider for management decisions. Typical site of service is an outpatient imaging center, hospital outpatient department, or ambulatory surgical center with MRI capability. Typical patient scenarios include evaluation of hepatic steatosis, liver iron overload, characterization of focal liver lesions with tissue composition mapping, or pre-treatment baseline and post-treatment monitoring of organ-specific therapies.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | When billing only the physician interpretation/report separate from technical acquisition. |
TC | Technical component | When billing only the scanner/radiology technical portion without physician interpretation. |
52 | Reduced services | When the MRI acquisition or analysis is partially reduced from standard protocol. |
53 | Discontinued procedure | If the MRI quantitative acquisition was started but then discontinued for patient safety or intolerance. |
59 | Distinct procedural service | Data not available in the input. |
62 | Two surgeons | Use when two qualified providers share responsibility for a complex interventional MRI-guided procedure (rare for this code). |
76 | Repeat procedure by same physician | Use when the same provider repeats the quantitative MRI procedure the same day. |
77 | Repeat procedure by another physician | Use when a different provider repeats the procedure the same day. |
22 | Increased procedural services | When work required to acquire, process, or interpret quantitative data is substantially greater than typical. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 208000000X | Diagnostic Radiology | Radiologists who interpret the quantitative MRI and issue the final report. |
| 207RC0000X | Radiology - Diagnostic | Alternate radiology taxonomy commonly used for imaging specialists. |
| 207K00000X | Gastroenterology | Ordering providers managing liver disease and using results for clinical decisions. |
| 207L00000X | Hepatology | Specialists ordering and correlating quantitative organ composition results for liver disease. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
K76.0 | Fatty (change of) liver, not elsewhere classified | Common indication for quantitative liver MRI to measure hepatic steatosis. |
E83.110 | Hemochromatosis due to increased intestinal iron absorption | Quantitative MRI R2*/T2* mapping is used to assess hepatic iron overload. |
K74.60 | Unspecified cirrhosis of liver | Used to quantify fat and iron composition in patients with cirrhosis for management and surveillance. |
R94.31 | Abnormal results of liver function studies | Abnormal LFTs prompt organ-specific quantitative MRI to characterize tissue composition. |
R90.89 | Other abnormal findings on diagnostic imaging of central nervous system | Data not available in the input. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
74183 | Magnetic resonance imaging, abdomen; with contrast material(s) and further sequences, without and with contrast | May be performed in conjunction with organ-limited quantitative MRI when broader abdominal anatomic imaging is required. |
0159T | Diagnostic ultrasound with elastography of liver, quantitative | Often performed alongside quantitative MRI for complementary noninvasive liver stiffness assessment. |
76377 | 3D rendering with interpretation and reporting of CT, MRI, ultrasound, or other tomographic modality | Used when advanced post-processing or 3D visualization is performed in addition to quantitative tissue composition reporting. |
76604 | Ultrasound, elastography, liver | Alternative or adjunct to MRI quantitative techniques for assessing hepatic fibrosis/stiffness. |