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CPT 78014: Thyroid Radioiodine Uptake Imaging

CPT code 78014 denotes nuclear medicine imaging of the thyroid following radioiodine administration to quantify thyroid uptake and evaluate radioactive tracer handling. This diagnostic test is used in the assessment of thyroid function, hyperthyroidism evaluation, and to help guide therapeutic decisions. Nationally, it is an established component of thyroid functional workups and impacts utilization patterns in endocrinology, radiology, and nuclear medicine services.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical purpose and service setting, payer coverage context, common billing modifiers, and related service line considerations. The publication summarizes typical sites of service and practical coding references relevant to billing teams and revenue cycle staff.

The content provides benchmarks and policy-oriented context where available and flags areas where input data was not provided. It is intended for national audiences including practice managers, coding professionals, and policy analysts who need a clear, single-page reference on CPT code 78014 and its role in thyroid diagnostic imaging.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 78014 describes imaging of the thyroid gland after administration of radioiodine to measure thyroid uptake and evaluate how the thyroid handles the radiotracer. This procedure quantifies the amount of radioiodine that reaches the thyroid and assesses thyroid function dynamics.

Service type: Nuclear medicine diagnostic imaging

Typical site of service: Hospital outpatient radiology/nuclear medicine department or freestanding imaging center

Find policies, billing codes, payers, states, and providers

CPT 78014: Thyroid Radioiodine Uptake Imaging

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Sign up for cpt 78014 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 78014 are released or updated.

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Nuclear medicine diagnostic imaging

Typical site of service: Hospital outpatient radiology/nuclear medicine department or freestanding imaging center

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 52-year-old female presents to a nuclear medicine clinic for evaluation of hyperthyroid symptoms (palpitations, weight loss, heat intolerance). Laboratory testing confirms elevated free T4 and suppressed TSH. The clinician orders a thyroid uptake and scan to quantify radioiodine uptake and assess thyroid morphology after oral administration of radioiodine. The patient receives a measured oral or intravenous tracer dose of radioiodine (typically I-123 or I-131 depending on protocol) and returns to the nuclear medicine department for imaging at the prescribed uptake interval (commonly 4–6 hours and/or 24 hours). The nuclear medicine technologist performs planar and, when indicated, SPECT imaging of the thyroid. The interpreting nuclear medicine physician reviews uptake measurements, calculates percent uptake, evaluates focal versus diffuse uptake patterns, and documents findings to guide management (antithyroid medication, radioiodine therapy planning, or surgery). Typical site of service is an outpatient hospital-based nuclear medicine department, freestanding imaging center, or inpatient nuclear medicine service when ordered during hospitalization.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when only the physician interpretation/report of the thyroid uptake/scan is billed separately from the technical component.
`TC`	Technical component	Use when only the equipment, technologist, and facility resources are billed for the imaging study.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use when a separate and distinct procedure or service is performed on the same day that is not normally reported together with the thyroid uptake/scan.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Use when the same imaging procedure is repeated later the same day by the same physician (e.g., repeat uptake at a different time).
`77`	Repeat procedure by another physician (Note: not in provided list)	Data not available in the input.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when reporting bilateral anatomic studies if applicable; typically not applicable for the thyroid which is a single gland but may be used per payer rules when laterality is required.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the study is partially reduced or incomplete (patient could not complete full uptake protocol).
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is started but discontinued due to patient condition or technical issues.
`24`	Unrelated E/M by same physician during postoperative period (Note: not in provided list)	Data not available in the input.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the study required substantially greater resources than typical (rare for routine uptake studies).
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Duplicate entry removed; see above.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Duplicate entry removed; see above.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2085P0800X	Nuclear Medicine Physician	Interprets and reports thyroid uptake and scan studies.
2084P0800X	Diagnostic Radiology	May perform and interpret nuclear medicine imaging in some practice settings.
207K00000X	Endocrinology	Orders the study and uses results for management of thyroid disorders.
208000000X	General Radiology/Imaging	Facility-based imaging oversight and coordination.
363LP0800X	Nuclear Medicine Technologist	Performs tracer administration and imaging acquisition under physician supervision.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`E05.00`	Thyrotoxicosis with diffuse goiter without thyrotoxic crisis or storm	Common indication for thyroid uptake and scan to distinguish Graves disease (diffuse uptake) from other causes.
`E05.10`	Thyrotoxicosis with toxic single thyroid nodule	Uptake and scan identifies focal increased uptake consistent with a toxic nodule.
`E05.20`	Thyrotoxicosis with toxic multinodular goiter	Scan helps demonstrate patchy uptake typical of toxic multinodular disease.
`E06.3`	Subacute thyroiditis	Typically low uptake on radioiodine scan, aiding differentiation from hyperfunctioning causes.
`E04.1`	Nontoxic single thyroid nodule	Used when a nodule is present; uptake pattern helps classify 'hot' versus 'cold' nodules.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`78015`	Thyroid imaging, including time history and/or uptake, multiple time points (e.g., 4 and 24 hours)	Performed when multiple uptake time points are required; complements single-time uptake `78014` for kinetic assessment.
`78800`	Radiopharmaceutical localization of tumor or distribution of radiopharmaceutical agent, single area imaging	Sometimes used for other nuclear medicine localization studies; not specific for thyroid but related modality.
`36415`	Collection of venous blood by venipuncture	Pre-procedure or follow-up blood draws (e.g., TSH, free T4) are commonly performed in the same clinical workflow.
`76536`	Ultrasound, transcutaneous, real time with image documentation; thyroid	Performed adjunctively to evaluate thyroid anatomy, nodules, or guide fine-needle aspiration following abnormal uptake patterns.
`10021`	Fine needle aspiration without imaging guidance	Performed when focal uptake suggests nodule requiring cytologic sampling; may follow ultrasound localization.

CPT 78012: Thyroid Radioiodine Uptake Study

CPT-78013-THYROID-RADIOIODINE-IMAGING-UPTAKE

CPT 78013: Thyroid Radioiodine Uptake and Imaging

CPT-78015-THYROID-SCAN-NUCLEAR-MEDICINE

CPT 78015: Thyroid Scan, Nuclear Medicine Diagnostic Imaging

CPT-78016-THYROID-SCAN-NUCLEAR-MEDICINE-IMAGING

CPT 78016: Thyroid Scan, Nuclear Medicine Imaging

CPT-78018-THYROID-SCAN-NUCLEAR-MEDICINE-IMAGING

CPT 78018: Thyroid Scan, Nuclear Medicine Imaging

CPT-78020-THYROID-SCAN-NUCLEAR-MEDICINE

CPT 78020: Thyroid Scan, Nuclear Medicine

CPT-78070-PARATHYROID-DUAL-TRACER-IMAGING-SUBTRACTION-STUDY

CPT 78070: Parathyroid Dual-Tracer Imaging with Subtraction

CPT-78071-SPECT-PARATHYROID-IMAGING-DUAL-TRACER

CPT 78071: SPECT Parathyroid Imaging with Dual Tracers

CPT-78072-PARATHYROID-NUCLEAR-MEDICINE-SPECT-CT-LOCALIZATION

CPT 78072: Parathyroid Nuclear Medicine Imaging with SPECT/CT Localization

CPT-78075-FUNCTIONAL-ADRENAL-NUCLEAR-IMAGING

CPT 78075: Functional Adrenal Nuclear Imaging

Showing 1–10 of 11

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when only the physician interpretation/report of the thyroid uptake/scan is billed separately from the technical component.
`TC`	Technical component	Use when only the equipment, technologist, and facility resources are billed for the imaging study.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use when a separate and distinct procedure or service is performed on the same day that is not normally reported together with the thyroid uptake/scan.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Use when the same imaging procedure is repeated later the same day by the same physician (e.g., repeat uptake at a different time).
`77`	Repeat procedure by another physician (Note: not in provided list)	Data not available in the input.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when reporting bilateral anatomic studies if applicable; typically not applicable for the thyroid which is a single gland but may be used per payer rules when laterality is required.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the study is partially reduced or incomplete (patient could not complete full uptake protocol).
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is started but discontinued due to patient condition or technical issues.
`24`	Unrelated E/M by same physician during postoperative period (Note: not in provided list)	Data not available in the input.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the study required substantially greater resources than typical (rare for routine uptake studies).
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Duplicate entry removed; see above.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Duplicate entry removed; see above.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2085P0800X	Nuclear Medicine Physician	Interprets and reports thyroid uptake and scan studies.
2084P0800X	Diagnostic Radiology	May perform and interpret nuclear medicine imaging in some practice settings.
207K00000X	Endocrinology	Orders the study and uses results for management of thyroid disorders.
208000000X	General Radiology/Imaging	Facility-based imaging oversight and coordination.
363LP0800X	Nuclear Medicine Technologist	Performs tracer administration and imaging acquisition under physician supervision.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`E05.00`	Thyrotoxicosis with diffuse goiter without thyrotoxic crisis or storm	Common indication for thyroid uptake and scan to distinguish Graves disease (diffuse uptake) from other causes.
`E05.10`	Thyrotoxicosis with toxic single thyroid nodule	Uptake and scan identifies focal increased uptake consistent with a toxic nodule.
`E05.20`	Thyrotoxicosis with toxic multinodular goiter	Scan helps demonstrate patchy uptake typical of toxic multinodular disease.
`E06.3`	Subacute thyroiditis	Typically low uptake on radioiodine scan, aiding differentiation from hyperfunctioning causes.
`E04.1`	Nontoxic single thyroid nodule	Used when a nodule is present; uptake pattern helps classify 'hot' versus 'cold' nodules.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`78015`	Thyroid imaging, including time history and/or uptake, multiple time points (e.g., 4 and 24 hours)	Performed when multiple uptake time points are required; complements single-time uptake `78014` for kinetic assessment.
`78800`	Radiopharmaceutical localization of tumor or distribution of radiopharmaceutical agent, single area imaging	Sometimes used for other nuclear medicine localization studies; not specific for thyroid but related modality.
`36415`	Collection of venous blood by venipuncture	Pre-procedure or follow-up blood draws (e.g., TSH, free T4) are commonly performed in the same clinical workflow.
`76536`	Ultrasound, transcutaneous, real time with image documentation; thyroid	Performed adjunctively to evaluate thyroid anatomy, nodules, or guide fine-needle aspiration following abnormal uptake patterns.
`10021`	Fine needle aspiration without imaging guidance	Performed when focal uptake suggests nodule requiring cytologic sampling; may follow ultrasound localization.

CPT 78012: Thyroid Radioiodine Uptake Study

CPT-78013-THYROID-RADIOIODINE-IMAGING-UPTAKE

CPT 78013: Thyroid Radioiodine Uptake and Imaging

CPT-78015-THYROID-SCAN-NUCLEAR-MEDICINE

CPT 78015: Thyroid Scan, Nuclear Medicine Diagnostic Imaging

CPT-78016-THYROID-SCAN-NUCLEAR-MEDICINE-IMAGING

CPT 78016: Thyroid Scan, Nuclear Medicine Imaging

CPT-78018-THYROID-SCAN-NUCLEAR-MEDICINE-IMAGING

CPT 78018: Thyroid Scan, Nuclear Medicine Imaging

CPT-78020-THYROID-SCAN-NUCLEAR-MEDICINE

CPT 78020: Thyroid Scan, Nuclear Medicine

CPT-78070-PARATHYROID-DUAL-TRACER-IMAGING-SUBTRACTION-STUDY

CPT 78070: Parathyroid Dual-Tracer Imaging with Subtraction

CPT-78071-SPECT-PARATHYROID-IMAGING-DUAL-TRACER

CPT 78071: SPECT Parathyroid Imaging with Dual Tracers

CPT-78072-PARATHYROID-NUCLEAR-MEDICINE-SPECT-CT-LOCALIZATION

CPT 78072: Parathyroid Nuclear Medicine Imaging with SPECT/CT Localization

CPT-78075-FUNCTIONAL-ADRENAL-NUCLEAR-IMAGING

CPT 78075: Functional Adrenal Nuclear Imaging

Showing 1–10 of 11

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

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CPT 78014: Thyroid Radioiodine Uptake Imaging

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 78014: Thyroid Radioiodine Uptake Imaging

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Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References