CPT 73721: MRI Lower Extremity Joint, Without Contrast
Medicare pays $142 and commercial payers pay $545 on average nationally for this procedure.
CPT code 73721 describes a diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of a lower extremity joint performed without contrast material, typically ordered to evaluate joint pathology; service type: diagnostic imaging, typical site of service: hospital outpatient department or imaging center.
For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Hip Arthroplasty (partial and total hip replacement), Shoulder Arthroplasty (Total, Partial, Reverse, Revision and Resurfacing), Artificial Lumbar Intervertebral Disc (Lumbar Total Disc Arthroplasty).
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National Reimbursement Benchmarks
Medicare’s national mean rate of $141.90 sits well below BUCA’s average commercial mean of $544.60, highlighting a large gulf between federal reimbursement and commercial rates for CPT 73721. The median Medicare locality payment of $145 underscores that most Medicare localities cluster near its mean, whereas BUCA’s distribution (P50 $486.40) reflects substantially higher commercial reimbursement levels compared with federal pricing.
Assessing dispersion via the interquartile range (P75 minus P25) shows that Blue Cross Blue Shield has the widest IQR at $285.80 (P75 $879.20 minus P25 $609.40), indicating the largest middle-range variability among payers. UnitedHealth Group and Aetna have narrower IQRs of $224.90 and $180.80 respectively, while Cigna’s IQR is $250.40. BUCA’s IQR is $258.20 and Medicare’s IQR is $131.50, making Medicare the tightest in middle-range variability.