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    v1.0.30
    OpenPayerBilling CodesDiagnostic Nuclear Medicine Procedures on the Nervous SystemCPT cpt-78608-pet-brain-metabolic-imaging
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    CPT 78608: Brain PET for Cerebral Metabolic Imaging

    Medicare pays $68 on average nationally for this procedure.

    CPT code 78608 describes a positron emission tomography (PET) diagnostic procedure of the brain that evaluates cerebral metabolic activity (for example, oxygen or glucose metabolism) to assess brain function; service type: nuclear medicine imaging; typical site of service: hospital outpatient imaging department or freestanding imaging center.

    For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Clinical Review Criteria Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring (IONM), Remote Electrical Neuromodulation for Migraines (i.e., Nerivio®), Lumbar Microdiscectomy.

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    Table of contents

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    Clinical & Coding Specifications

    Clinical Context

    A 68-year-old patient with progressive cognitive decline and suspected Alzheimer disease is referred by a neurologist for a brain PET scan to evaluate regional cerebral glucose metabolism. The patient presents to an outpatient nuclear medicine clinic after pre-authorization and medication review. The usual workflow includes arrival and registration, verification of indications and prior imaging, IV placement for radiotracer administration, tracer uptake period (typically 30–60 minutes), image acquisition on a PET scanner, image reconstruction and attenuation correction (often using an integrated CT), and interpretation by a board-certified nuclear medicine physician or neuroradiologist. The study report documents radiotracer type, injected activity, patient preparation (fasting, medication adjustments), technical factors, qualitative and quantitative findings, and an impression that correlates with clinical referral.

    Related CPT Codes

    CPT CodeDescriptionRelationship to This Procedure
    78815Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, tumor evaluation; whole body, single study, with or without concurrently performed limited, localized PET imagingMay be used for oncologic PET studies when whole-body imaging is required; complements brain PET when systemic disease evaluation is needed.
    78816Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, tumor evaluation; limited, localized PET study, single areaUsed for focused PET imaging of a specific region and may be billed when brain-only tumor assessment is performed.
    70450CT head/brain without contrastOften performed as the CT component for attenuation correction or as part of a PET/CT protocol.
    78608Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, brain, metabolic evaluationPrimary procedure for regional brain metabolic assessment; used for dementia, epilepsy, and metabolic brain disorders.
    96413Chemotherapy administration, intravenous infusion technique; up to 1 hour, single or initial substance/drugIncluded as an example of infusion codes sometimes used for intravenous radiopharmaceutical administration documentation when facility-specific billing applies (verify payer policies).

    Related Modifiers

    6 rows

    ModifierDescriptionWhen to Use
    26Modifier 26 (Professional Component) identifies and bills only the professional portion of a split service — the physician’s interpretation, report, and medical judgment — when the technical…- Use CPT Modifier -26 when you are billing only the professional component (PC) of a split‑bill eligible service—i.e., you performed the physician interpretation, medical judgment and prepared a…
    52Modifier ‑52 (Reduced Services) indicates that a service or procedure was partially reduced or omitted at the provider’s discretion, allowing reporting of the basic procedure number with a qualifier…- Use modifier -52 when a physician or qualified health professional electively reduces or omits part of a procedure or service (for example, performing fewer required views or omitting a portion of…
    53Modifier 53 (Discontinued Procedure) signals that a surgical or diagnostic service was begun by the physician but terminated because of extenuating circumstances that threatened the patient’s…- Use modifier -53 when a physician/qualified healthcare professional has started a surgical or diagnostic procedure (e.g., anesthesia administered, incision or scope insertion) and then discontinues…
    59Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
    76Modifier -76, Repeat Procedure or Service by Same Physician or Other Qualified Health Care Professional, is appended when the same provider performs an identical, medically necessary procedure or…- Use modifier -76 when the same physician or other qualified health care professional performs an identical procedure or service a second (or subsequent) time on the same date of service and the…
    77Modifier 77 indicates that a previously performed procedure or service was legitimately repeated by a different physician or other qualified health care professional. The AMA’s CPT definition…- Use modifier 77 when a basic procedure or service already performed is repeated by a different physician or other qualified health care professional (for example, a second provider independently…

    Related Provider Taxonomies

    8 rows

    Taxonomy Code
    208M00000X
    2084P0800X
    174400000X
    103TC0700X
    372500000X
    261QR0400X
    261QL0400X
    207PH0002X

    Related ICD-10-CM Codes

    24 rows

    ICD-10-CM CodeDescription
    C71.3Malignant neoplasm of parietal lobe
    C71.4Malignant neoplasm of occipital lobe
    C71.8Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of brain
    C71.9Malignant neoplasm of brain, unspecified
    F02.80Dementia in other diseases classified elsewhere, unspecified severity, without behavioral disturbance, psychotic disturbance, mood disturbance, and anxiety
    F03.90Unspecified dementia, unspecified severity, without behavioral disturbance, psychotic disturbance, mood disturbance, and anxiety
    G30.0Alzheimer's disease with early onset
    G30.9Alzheimer's disease, unspecified
    G31.83Neurocognitive disorder with Lewy bodies
    G31.84Mild cognitive impairment of uncertain or unknown etiology

    Showing 1–10 of 24

    Related Payer Policy Updates

    Specialty: Neurology/Neurosurgery1 / 2

    10 rows

    PolicyPayerEffective Date
    Clinical Review Criteria Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring (IONM)Kaiser Permanente2027-01-01
    Remote Electrical Neuromodulation for Migraines (i.e., Nerivio®)bcbsvermont2026-11-01
    Lumbar Microdiscectomyuniverahealthcare2026-10-15
    Artificial Cervical Intervertebral Discuniverahealthcare2026-10-15
    Lumbar Decompressionuniverahealthcare2026-10-15
    Responsive Neurostimulation for Focal EpilepsyPremera Bluecross2026-10-14
    Intraoperative MonitoringProvidence Health Plan2026-10-01
    Intraoperative MonitoringProvidence Health Plan2026-10-01
    High-Intensity Focused UltrasoundMass General Brigham Health Plan2026-10-01
    Vagal Nerve StimulationAmbetter Nevada2026-10-01

    Related Codes

    CPT-78600-BRAIN-NUCLEAR-STATIC-IMAGING-FEWER-THAN-FOUR-VIEWS

    CPT 78600: Nuclear Diagnostic Brain Imaging, <4 Static Views

    CPT-78601-BRAIN-NUCLEAR-PERFUSION-IMAGING-FEWER-THAN-FOUR-STATIC-VIEWS

    CPT 78601: Nuclear Diagnostic Brain Imaging, Static Views and Flow

    CPT-78605-BRAIN-NUCLEAR-STATIC-IMAGING-FOUR-OR-MORE-VIEWS

    CPT 78605: Brain Nuclear Diagnostic Imaging, Four+ Static Views

    CPT-78606-NUCLEAR-BRAIN-IMAGING-STATIC-VIEWS-CEREBRAL-BLOOD-FLOW

    CPT 78606: Brain Nuclear Imaging, Static Views with Flow Evaluation

    CPT-78609-PET-BRAIN-IMAGING

    CPT 78609: Brain PET Scan for Function and Perfusion

    CPT-78610-CEREBRAL-PERFUSION-NUCLEAR-MEDICINE-STUDY

    CPT 78610: Brain Perfusion Study with Gamma Tracer

    CPT-78630-CSF-FLOW-STUDY-HYDROCEPHALUS-LEAK-EVALUATION

    CPT 78630: Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Flow Study, Head

    CPT-78635-CSF-FLOW-VENTRICULAR-IMAGING-HYDROCEPHALUS

    CPT 78635: CSF Flow Study for Ventricular Assessment

    CPT-78645-CSF-SHUNT-FLOW-IMAGING

    CPT 78645: CSF Shunt Patency and Flow Imaging Study

    CPT-78650-CSF-LEAK-NUCLEAR-IMAGING-LOCALIZATION

    CPT 78650: Nuclear Medicine Localization of CSF Leak

    Showing 1–10 of 12

    Frequently Asked Questions

    References

    1. 1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
    2. 2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
    3. 3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.
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