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CPT 79200: Intracavitary Radiopharmaceutical Administration

Headline: CPT code 79200: Direct Intracavitary Radiopharmaceutical Administration

Lead: CPT code 79200 covers the placement of a radiopharmaceutical directly into a body cavity or bodily space, such as uterine intracavitary instillation. This targeted approach is used for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes and requires specialized facilities and radiation safety measures.

CPT code 79200 represents a procedural service for intracavitary administration of radiopharmaceuticals. Nationally, accurate coding for this service affects billing clarity, compliance with radiation safety regulations, and appropriate payer reimbursement for procedures that occur in hospital outpatient departments, ambulatory surgical centers, or specialized procedural suites.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The section outlines common coverage patterns and payment considerations across major national payers.

Readers will learn: an overview of what CPT code 79200 represents clinically; typical sites of service and operational considerations; payer coverage landscape and where to find policy details; and the types of benchmarks and policy updates that affect coding and billing for intracavitary radiopharmaceutical procedures. Data not available in the input will be identified where applicable.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 79200 describes the direct instillation of a radiopharmaceutical substance into a body cavity or space, for example into the uterus. This procedure involves placing a radioactive therapeutic or diagnostic agent directly at a target site within the body rather than administering it systemically.

Service type: Intracavitary radiopharmaceutical administration
Typical site of service: Ambulatory surgical center, hospital outpatient department, or specialized procedural suite where radiopharmaceutical handling and radiation safety protocols are available.

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CPT 79200: Intracavitary Radiopharmaceutical Administration

Headline: CPT code 79200: Direct Intracavitary Radiopharmaceutical Administration

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Intracavitary radiopharmaceutical administration
Typical site of service: Ambulatory surgical center, hospital outpatient department, or specialized procedural suite where radiopharmaceutical handling and radiation safety protocols are available.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is a postmenopausal woman with recurrent uterine bleeding and known endometrial hyperplasia who is scheduled for an intracavitary radiopharmaceutical instillation to ablate the endometrium. In the outpatient procedural suite or ambulatory surgery center, the workflow begins with pre-procedure consent and verification, confirmation of pregnancy status if applicable, and removal of any intrauterine device. The patient is positioned in lithotomy, a speculum is placed, and the cervix is cleansed. A uterine sound or catheter is inserted under sterile technique to confirm cavity depth and position. A measured radiopharmaceutical dose is prepared by nuclear medicine pharmacy and delivered into the uterine cavity via a syringe or delivery catheter. The provider documents the radiopharmaceutical identity, activity, lot number, volume instilled, and dwell time. Post-procedure, the patient is monitored for vital signs, bleeding, or cramping, provided discharge instructions, and scheduled for follow-up imaging or clinical assessment as indicated. Typical sites of service are the ambulatory surgery center, hospital outpatient department, or nuclear medicine department where sterile supplies and radiation safety oversight are available. The service type is an intracavitary radiopharmaceutical administration.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the service required substantially greater physician work than typical for `79200` due to complexity or unexpected difficulty
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia or deep sedation is required for the procedure and not ordinarily reported with `79200`
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the physician professional component for reporting reading, interpretation, or physician-performed portion separate from technical component
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as planned but attempted
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is started but terminated due to extenuating circumstances or patient instability
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use when a separate, distinct procedure unrelated to `79200` is performed on the same day (Note: use appropriate X{P,E,S,T,U} modifiers per payer policies)
`73`	Discontinued outpatient hospital/ambulatory surgery prior to anesthesia	Use when procedure is cancelled after patient preparation in the outpatient OR/ASC setting before administration of anesthesia
`78`	Return to the operating/procedure room for a related procedure during the global period	Use when a related intra-cavitary radiopharmaceutical procedure is repeated in the OR/ASC during the global period for the initial procedure
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon performs part of the procedure and payer requires reporting of assistant services
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when a physician assistant or surgeon in training provides minimal assistance per payer rules
`82`	Assistant when a qualified resident not available	Use when assistant was required but a resident was not available and payer requires this modifier
`TC`	Technical component	Use when billing only the technical component (e.g., facility supplies, radiopharmaceutical preparation) separate from professional services
`QX`	Modifier indicating assistant surgeon (commercial/medicare crossover)	Use when a qualified nonphysician assistant surgeon performed services and payer requires `QX` to identify the assistant
`U1`	Product or service specific to payer reporting	Use when a payer-specific reporting requirement applies and `U1` is defined by the payer for this radiopharmaceutical service

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208Y00000X	Gynecology	Gynecologists perform intracavitary uterine radiopharmaceutical placements for endometrial ablation and related indications
207RC0000X	Radiology — Nuclear Medicine	Nuclear medicine physicians or radiologists oversee radiopharmaceutical selection, dosing, and radiation safety
208000000X	Obstetrics & Gynecology	Obstetrician-gynecologists in hospital-based settings may perform the procedure for gynecologic indications
363A00000X	Nuclear Medicine	Nuclear medicine specialists manage dispensing and administration protocols for intraluminal radiopharmaceuticals

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`N85.0`	Endometrial hyperplasia	Endometrial hyperplasia is a common indication for intracavitary radiopharmaceutical ablation of the uterine lining
`N93.8`	Other specified abnormal uterine and vaginal bleeding	Symptomatic abnormal bleeding prompting intracavitary therapeutic instillation as part of management
`N93.9`	Abnormal uterine and vaginal bleeding, unspecified	General bleeding indication that may lead to intracavitary treatment when other therapies are appropriate
`D07.0`	Carcinoma in situ of endometrium	In select, carefully considered cases, intracavitary treatments may be used in management planning or palliation under specialist guidance
`N80.0`	Endometriosis of uterus (adenomyosis)	Adenomyosis-related bleeding or pain may lead to intracavitary interventions when conservative measures fail

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`78320`	Therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals; non-therapeutic imaging agent administration (intracavitary) — note: code used for certain intracavitary nuclear medicine services	May be used in facilities when additional nuclear medicine administration or imaging is required in conjunction with intracavitary instillation
`51701`	Irrigation of bladder, simple (eg, for diagnostic studies)	Performed when bladder irrigation or contrast instillation is required for adjacent pelvic evaluation before or after uterine instillation
`58120`	Endometrial biopsy, without dilation and curettage	Often performed before or after intracavitary therapy to obtain tissue diagnosis or evaluate response
`57452`	Colposcopy with biopsy of the cervix	May be performed in the same clinical episode to evaluate cervical pathology when indicated
`99213`	Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient	Common pre-procedure evaluation and post-procedure follow-up visit code
`A9527`	Technetium Tc-99m pertechnetate diagnostic, unit dose, up to 20 millicuries — (HCPCS example for radiopharmaceutical supply)	Represents billing for radiopharmaceutical supply or ampules when facility bills separately; used alongside `79200` when applicable

CPT 79005: Oral Radiopharmaceutical Administration for Therapy

CPT-79101-RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL-INTRAVENOUS-THERAPY

CPT 79101: Intravenous Radiopharmaceutical Therapeutic Injection

CPT-79300-INTERSTITIAL-BRACHYTHERAPY-IMPLANTATION

CPT 79300: Interstitial Brachytherapy Implantation

CPT-79403-RADIOLABELED-MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODY-INFUSION

CPT 79403: Radiolabeled Monoclonal Antibody Intravenous Infusion

CPT-79440-RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL-INJECTION-FOR-SYNOVIAL-INFLAMMATION

CPT 79440: Radiopharmaceutical Joint Injection for Synovial Inflammation

CPT-79445-TRANSARTERIAL-RADIOEMBOLIZATION-INTRA-ARTERIAL-RADIOACTIVE-INJECTION

CPT 79445: Transarterial Radioembolization with Intra-arterial Radioactive Injection

CPT-79999-RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL-THERAPY-UNLISTED-PROCEDURE

CPT 79999: Unlisted Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Procedure

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.

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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
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the service required substantially greater physician work than typical for `79200` due to complexity or unexpected difficulty
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia or deep sedation is required for the procedure and not ordinarily reported with `79200`
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the physician professional component for reporting reading, interpretation, or physician-performed portion separate from technical component
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as planned but attempted
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is started but terminated due to extenuating circumstances or patient instability
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use when a separate, distinct procedure unrelated to `79200` is performed on the same day (Note: use appropriate X{P,E,S,T,U} modifiers per payer policies)
`73`	Discontinued outpatient hospital/ambulatory surgery prior to anesthesia	Use when procedure is cancelled after patient preparation in the outpatient OR/ASC setting before administration of anesthesia
`78`	Return to the operating/procedure room for a related procedure during the global period	Use when a related intra-cavitary radiopharmaceutical procedure is repeated in the OR/ASC during the global period for the initial procedure
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon performs part of the procedure and payer requires reporting of assistant services
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when a physician assistant or surgeon in training provides minimal assistance per payer rules
`82`	Assistant when a qualified resident not available	Use when assistant was required but a resident was not available and payer requires this modifier
`TC`	Technical component	Use when billing only the technical component (e.g., facility supplies, radiopharmaceutical preparation) separate from professional services
`QX`	Modifier indicating assistant surgeon (commercial/medicare crossover)	Use when a qualified nonphysician assistant surgeon performed services and payer requires `QX` to identify the assistant
`U1`	Product or service specific to payer reporting	Use when a payer-specific reporting requirement applies and `U1` is defined by the payer for this radiopharmaceutical service

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208Y00000X	Gynecology	Gynecologists perform intracavitary uterine radiopharmaceutical placements for endometrial ablation and related indications
207RC0000X	Radiology — Nuclear Medicine	Nuclear medicine physicians or radiologists oversee radiopharmaceutical selection, dosing, and radiation safety
208000000X	Obstetrics & Gynecology	Obstetrician-gynecologists in hospital-based settings may perform the procedure for gynecologic indications
363A00000X	Nuclear Medicine	Nuclear medicine specialists manage dispensing and administration protocols for intraluminal radiopharmaceuticals

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`N85.0`	Endometrial hyperplasia	Endometrial hyperplasia is a common indication for intracavitary radiopharmaceutical ablation of the uterine lining
`N93.8`	Other specified abnormal uterine and vaginal bleeding	Symptomatic abnormal bleeding prompting intracavitary therapeutic instillation as part of management
`N93.9`	Abnormal uterine and vaginal bleeding, unspecified	General bleeding indication that may lead to intracavitary treatment when other therapies are appropriate
`D07.0`	Carcinoma in situ of endometrium	In select, carefully considered cases, intracavitary treatments may be used in management planning or palliation under specialist guidance
`N80.0`	Endometriosis of uterus (adenomyosis)	Adenomyosis-related bleeding or pain may lead to intracavitary interventions when conservative measures fail

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`78320`	Therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals; non-therapeutic imaging agent administration (intracavitary) — note: code used for certain intracavitary nuclear medicine services	May be used in facilities when additional nuclear medicine administration or imaging is required in conjunction with intracavitary instillation
`51701`	Irrigation of bladder, simple (eg, for diagnostic studies)	Performed when bladder irrigation or contrast instillation is required for adjacent pelvic evaluation before or after uterine instillation
`58120`	Endometrial biopsy, without dilation and curettage	Often performed before or after intracavitary therapy to obtain tissue diagnosis or evaluate response
`57452`	Colposcopy with biopsy of the cervix	May be performed in the same clinical episode to evaluate cervical pathology when indicated
`99213`	Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient	Common pre-procedure evaluation and post-procedure follow-up visit code
`A9527`	Technetium Tc-99m pertechnetate diagnostic, unit dose, up to 20 millicuries — (HCPCS example for radiopharmaceutical supply)	Represents billing for radiopharmaceutical supply or ampules when facility bills separately; used alongside `79200` when applicable

CPT 79005: Oral Radiopharmaceutical Administration for Therapy

CPT-79101-RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL-INTRAVENOUS-THERAPY

CPT 79101: Intravenous Radiopharmaceutical Therapeutic Injection

CPT-79300-INTERSTITIAL-BRACHYTHERAPY-IMPLANTATION

CPT 79300: Interstitial Brachytherapy Implantation

CPT-79403-RADIOLABELED-MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODY-INFUSION

CPT 79403: Radiolabeled Monoclonal Antibody Intravenous Infusion

CPT-79440-RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL-INJECTION-FOR-SYNOVIAL-INFLAMMATION

CPT 79440: Radiopharmaceutical Joint Injection for Synovial Inflammation

CPT-79445-TRANSARTERIAL-RADIOEMBOLIZATION-INTRA-ARTERIAL-RADIOACTIVE-INJECTION

CPT 79445: Transarterial Radioembolization with Intra-arterial Radioactive Injection

CPT-79999-RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL-THERAPY-UNLISTED-PROCEDURE

CPT 79999: Unlisted Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Procedure

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 79200: Intracavitary Radiopharmaceutical Administration

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 79200: Intracavitary Radiopharmaceutical Administration

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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