This component represents the transportation of the equipment to the patient. Establish local RVUs for the transportation R codes based on Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) knowledge of the nature of the service furnished. The MACs shall allow only a single transportation payment for each trip the portable x-ray supplier makes to a particular location. When more than one patient is x-rayed at the same location, e.g., a nursing home, prorate the single fee schedule transportation payment among all patients (Medicare Parts A and B, and non-Medicare) receiving the portable x-ray services during that trip, regardless of their insurance status. For example, for portable x-ray services furnished at a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF), the transportation fee should be allocated among all patients receiving portable x-ray services at the same location in a single trip irrespective of whether the patient is in a Part A stay, a Part B patient, or not a Medicare beneficiary at all. If the patient is in a Part A SNF stay, the transportation and set up costs are subject to consolidated billing and not separately billable to Medicare Part B. For a privately insured patient, it would be the responsibility of that patient’s insurer. For a Medicare Part B patient, payment would be made under Part B for the share of the transportation fee attributable to that patient.

R0075 must be billed in conjunction with the radiology codes and only when the x-ray equipment used was actually transported to the location where the x-ray was taken.

R0075 would not apply to the x-ray equipment stored in the location where the x-ray was done (e.g., a nursing home) for use as needed.

Below are the definitions for each modifier that must be reported with R0075. Only one of these five modifiers shall be reported with R0075. NOTE: If only one patient is served, R0070 should be reported with no modifier since the descriptor for this code reflects only one patient seen.

UN – Two patients served

UP – Three patients served

UQ – Four patients served

UR – Five Patients served

US – Six or more patients served

Payment for the above modifiers must be consistent with the definition of the modifiers. Therefore, for R0075 reported with modifiers, -UN, -UP, -UQ, and –UR, the total payment for the service shall be divided by 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively. For modifier –US, the total payment for the service shall be divided by 6 regardless of the number of patients served. For example, if 8 patients were served, R0075 would be reported with modifier –US and the total payment for this service would be divided by 6.

The units field for R0075 shall always be reported as “1” except in extremely unusual cases. The number in the units field should be completed in accordance with the provisions of 100-04, chapter 23, section 10.2 item 24 G which defines the units field as the number of times the patient has received the itemized service during the dates listed in the from/to field. The units field must never be used to report the number of patients served during a single trip. Specifically, the units field must reflect the number of services that the specific beneficiary received, not the number of services received by other beneficiaries.

As a contractor priced service, MACs must initially determine a payment rate for portable x-ray transportation services that is associated with the cost of providing the service. In order to determine an appropriate cost, the MAC should, at a minimum, cost out the vehicle, vehicle modifications, gasoline and the staff time involved in only the transportation for a portable x-ray service. A review of the pricing of this service should be done every five years.

Direct costs related to the vehicle carrying the x-ray machine are fully allocable to determining the payment rate. This includes the cost of the vehicle using a recognized depreciation method, the salary and fringe benefits associated with the staff who drive the vehicle, the communication equipment used between the vehicle and the home office, the salary and fringe benefits of the staff who determine the vehicles route (this could be proportional of office staff), repairs and maintenance of the vehicle(s), insurance for the vehicle(s), operating expenses for the vehicles and any other reasonable costs associated with this service as determined by the MAC. The MAC will have discretion for allocating indirect costs (those costs that cannot be directly attributed to portable x-ray
transportation) between the transportation service and the technical component of the x-ray tests.

Suppliers may send MACs unsolicited cost information. The MACs may use this cost data as a comparison to its contractor priced determination. The data supplied should reflect a year’s worth (either calendar or corporate fiscal) of information. Each provider who submits such data is to be informed that the data is subject to verification and will be used to supplement other information that is used to determine Medicare’s payment rate.

The MACs are required to update the rate on an annual basis using independently determined measures of the cost of providing the service. A number of readily available measures (e.g., ambulance inflation factor, the Medicare economic index) that are used by the Medicare program to adjust payment rates for other types of services may be appropriate to use to update the rate for years that the MAC does not recalibrate the payment. Each MAC has the flexibility to identify the index it will use to update the rate. In addition, the MAC can consider locally identified factors that are measured independently of CMS as an adjunct to the annual adjustment.

NOTE: No transportation charge is payable unless the portable x-ray equipment used was actually transported to the location where the x-ray was taken. For example, MACs do not allow a transportation charge when the x-ray equipment is stored in a nursing home for use as needed. However, a set-up payment (see §90.4, below) is payable in such situations. Further, for services furnished on or after January 1, 1997, MACs may not make separate payment under HCPCS code R0076 for the transportation of EKG equipment by portable x-ray suppliers or any other entity.