Medicare Reimbursement for Mobile Imaging: What Facilities Need to Know

Corrected September 11, 2026: the ordering-practitioner section now states the federal rule (nonphysician practitioners may order; no written-and-signed order requirement since November 29, 2019), the prior-authorization section was rewritten against CMS's current program list, the directory link no longer promises an insurance filter, and two unsourced denial-ranking sentences were removed. Each correction cites its source in place.

Does Medicare Cover Mobile Imaging?

Medicare Part B covers portable X-ray, ultrasound, and EKG performed at a patient's location — skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, private homes, and hospice settings. Portable X-ray services specifically are governed by the conditions of coverage in 42 CFR 486. For a given modality or study, confirm coverage specifics with the provider's billing team or your Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC).

The billing rules are specific. Getting them wrong means denied claims, delayed payments, or compliance issues. Here's what you need to know.

How Medicare Covers Mobile Imaging

Mobile imaging falls under Medicare Part B as a portable X-ray / diagnostic imaging service.

The key regulatory framework:

• 42 CFR 486 — Conditions for coverage of portable X-ray services
• Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, Section 80 — Portable X-ray services
• CMS Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) — Sets reimbursement rates for specific CPT codes

Who the provider bills depends on the resident's stay.

For a resident not in a Medicare-covered Part A stay, the provider bills Medicare directly under their own NPI using the appropriate CPT codes and place of service, and the facility does not bill for the service.

For a resident in a Medicare-covered Part A stay, SNF consolidated billing applies: the technical component plus the associated transportation and set-up costs are not separately billable to Part B and are paid from the facility's PPS rate. Only the professional component goes to Part B. The provider invoices the facility for the rest.

How Mobile Imaging Is Billed

A portable study is billed in components:

• The technical component — performing the study (equipment + technologist).
• The professional component — the radiologist's read and report.
• A transportation/setup component — separate from the technical and professional components — that covers bringing portable X-ray equipment to the patient's location.

The transportation component for portable X-ray is billed under the transportation HCPCS codes R0070 (single patient per trip) and R0075 (multiple patients per trip), which are current for 2026. Two rules matter: it is billed only alongside a radiology CPT code, and only when equipment was actually transported to the patient's location.

Transportation is not reimbursable for EKG. A portable supplier bills the EKG study itself (e.g., 93000 / 93005), but the transportation/setup codes (R0070, R0075, R0076, Q0092) are not payable for EKG — there is no transportation reimbursement for a portable EKG.

Exact payment amounts come from the current Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) and vary by your MAC region — look up the current rate with your MAC or the provider's billing team. We don't publish dollar figures here: MPFS amounts change annually and by region, and the R0070/R0075 transportation allowances are under active MAC cost-analysis review.

Common CPT Codes for Mobile Imaging

Codes and descriptions are stable; rates are not — verify the current rate for each code with your MAC.

Portable X-Ray

CPT / HCPCS Code	Description
71046	Chest X-ray, 2 views
71045	Chest X-ray, 1 view
73502	Hip X-ray, 2–3 views
73552	Femur X-ray, 2 views
R0070	Portable X-ray equipment transportation — single patient, per trip
R0075	Portable X-ray equipment transportation — multiple patients, per trip

Mobile Ultrasound

CPT Code	Description
76700	Abdominal ultrasound, complete
76770	Renal ultrasound
93880	Duplex scan, carotid arteries
93971	Duplex scan, venous (unilateral)

Mobile EKG

CPT Code	Description
93000	EKG with interpretation
93005	EKG tracing only
93010	EKG interpretation only

EKG is billed as the study only — no transportation/setup code (R0070/R0075/R0076/Q0092) is payable for EKG.

Place of Service Codes

The place of service (POS) code tells Medicare where the exam was performed:

POS Code	Setting
31	Skilled Nursing Facility
32	Nursing Facility (non-skilled)
12	Patient's Home
13	Assisted Living Facility
34	Hospice
99	Other (group homes, correctional)

The POS code has to match where the exam was actually performed. Confirm that your mobile imaging provider uses the correct code for your facility type.

What Facilities Need to Verify

1. The Provider's Medicare Enrollment

The mobile imaging provider must be enrolled in Medicare as a portable X-ray supplier. This requires:

• Active NPI number
• Enrollment in PECOS (Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System)
• State licensure where applicable
• Compliance with 42 CFR 486 conditions

How to check: Ask the provider for their Medicare PTAN (Provider Transaction Access Number). You can also verify their enrollment through the CMS NPI Registry.

2. Ordering Practitioner Requirements

Medicare requires that portable X-ray services be ordered by the physician treating the patient, or by a nonphysician practitioner (a nurse practitioner, physician assistant or clinical nurse specialist) acting within the scope of state law and treating the patient. That is the federal rule, not a state-by-state exception. 42 CFR 410.32(c)(2) covers services "ordered by a physician as provided in paragraph (a) or by a nonphysician practitioner as provided in paragraph (a)(2)", and 42 CFR 486.106(a) requires the exam to be "on the order of a physician licensed to practice in the State or by a nonphysician practitioner acting within the scope of State law." Nonphysician practitioners have been able to order portable X-ray under Medicare since January 1, 2013 (CY2013 Physician Fee Schedule final rule, 77 FR 68892).

The rule says what the order must contain, not what form it takes. The supplier's records must show that the order "includes a statement concerning the condition of the patient which indicates why portable X-ray services are necessary" (42 CFR 486.106(a)(2)). Medicare does not require the order to be written and signed: that requirement left 42 CFR part 486 with the September 30, 2019 burden-reduction final rule (84 FR 51732, effective November 29, 2019). Your MAC may publish documentation expectations on top of the federal rule; check its portable X-ray page.

In practice a complete order carries:

• Patient name and Medicare beneficiary identifier
• The exam(s) ordered
• The clinical reason: the condition statement above, with the diagnosis (ICD-10 code) the practitioner is working from
• The ordering practitioner's legal name and NPI, which the supplier's claim must carry (42 CFR 424.507(a)(1)(ii))

3. Medical Necessity Documentation

Every mobile imaging exam must meet Medicare's medical necessity criteria. The key question: Is it medically necessary for imaging to be performed at the patient's location rather than at an outpatient facility?

For SNF and homebound patients, this is generally straightforward. The patient's condition makes transport impractical or medically inadvisable. But documentation should clearly state why bedside imaging is required, and the place for it is the condition statement the order must carry under 42 CFR 486.106(a)(2).

Rate Updates to Watch

CMS adjusts Medicare reimbursement annually through the Physician Fee Schedule. Rather than rely on a fixed figure, watch the levers that move the numbers:

• Conversion factor. The Medicare conversion factor determines base payment amounts. Monitor the CMS final rule (typically published in November) for the upcoming year's figure.
• Geographic adjustments. Rates vary by region based on the Geographic Practice Cost Index (GPCI); higher-cost areas typically see higher reimbursement.
• Transportation allowances. The R0070/R0075 portable-X-ray transportation allowances are under active MAC cost-analysis review and are MAC-region-specific — always confirm the current allowance with your MAC.

Hospital-at-Home Expansion

The CMS Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver program continues to expand, increasing demand for mobile diagnostic services in home settings. Facilities in hospital-at-home programs should ensure their mobile imaging partners can support the program's documentation and turnaround requirements.

Prior Authorization

Original Medicare does not require prior authorization for portable X-ray, ultrasound or EKG. CMS's list of fee-for-service prior authorization and pre-claim review programs (page last modified September 15, 2025) covers certain hospital outpatient department services, repetitive scheduled non-emergent ambulance transport, certain DMEPOS items, and the home health and inpatient rehabilitation review choice demonstrations. No imaging service is on it. Medicare Advantage plans set their own prior-authorization rules, so for residents on an MA plan confirm with the plan before the visit.

Choosing a Medicare-Compliant Provider

When evaluating mobile imaging providers for Medicare patients, confirm:

• Active Medicare enrollment and PTAN
• Correct use of place of service codes for your facility type
• Correct handling of BOTH billing cases: direct-to-Medicare for residents not in a Part A stay, and invoicing the facility for the technical component, transport and set-up of residents who ARE in a Part A stay (SNF consolidated billing requires this — a provider that offers to bill Medicare for a Part A resident's technical component is billing incorrectly)
• HIPAA-compliant image transmission and storage
• Proper ordering documentation workflows

To find mobile imaging providers near your facility, search our directory by city, state or ZIP code. The directory searches by location, not by insurance, so confirm Medicare, Medicaid or commercial acceptance with the provider directly.

Need help finding a compliant provider? Search by your location or read our full compliance guide for more detail on regulatory requirements.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, billing, or medical advice. Always consult with your billing department, compliance officer, or Medicare Administrative Contractor for facility-specific guidance. Rates and regulations are subject to change.