Cost analysis for CPT 76536 — Ultrasound scan of head and neck soft tissue
Average Medicare Payment
$42.50
2023 data
Total Payments (2023)
$45.2M
Services (2023)
878.3K
Price Change (2014–2023)
-10.3%
| Year | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $47.36 | $40.7M | 721.7K | — |
| 2015 | $45.18 | $40.8M | 764.1K | -4.6% |
| 2016 | $43.95 | $43.0M | 816.3K | -2.7% |
| 2017 | $43.57 | $43.6M | 832.1K | -0.9% |
| 2018 | $44.20 | $45.3M | 854.6K | +1.4% |
| 2019 | $44.02 | $47.4M | 897.7K | -0.4% |
| 2020 | $44.64 | $39.8M | 740.9K | +1.4% |
| 2021 | $45.50 | $46.5M | 842.0K | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $43.28 | $44.7M | 845.1K | -4.9% |
| 2023 | $42.50 | $45.2M | 878.3K | -1.8% |
The most expensive state pays 3.2x more than the cheapest for this procedure. NJ averages $73.34 vs SD at $22.63.
| State | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NJ | $73.34 | $2.6M | 34.8K | 518 |
| GU | $72.24 | $17.2K | 238 | 6 |
| DC | $70.55 | $233.2K | 3.3K | 50 |
| CA | $69.26 | $7.0M | 100.4K | 1.5K |
| NY | $68.80 | $6.8M | 98.7K | 1.1K |
| MD | $67.84 | $1.9M | 27.8K | 303 |
| PR | $66.27 | $97.6K | 1.5K | 58 |
| AZ | $64.67 | $1.3M | 20.7K | 265 |
| NV | $62.64 | $493.4K | 7.9K | 140 |
| FL | $61.52 | $4.6M | 74.8K | 1.1K |
| AK | $56.31 | $93.6K | 1.7K | 32 |
| CT | $54.16 | $616.9K | 11.4K | 195 |
| TX | $51.25 | $2.9M | 56.4K | 1.0K |
| RI | $50.99 | $199.3K | 3.9K | 64 |
| HI | $48.93 | $140.3K | 2.9K | 51 |
| NC | $48.39 | $1.3M | 26.9K | 527 |
| VA | $47.99 | $1.1M | 23.9K | 376 |
| CO | $47.38 | $450.7K | 9.5K | 230 |
| TN | $47.00 | $956.7K | 20.4K | 419 |
| WY | $45.97 | $60.0K | 1.3K | 26 |
| DE | $44.61 | $290.6K | 6.5K | 43 |
| WA | $43.52 | $499.0K | 11.5K | 255 |
| SC | $43.19 | $586.4K | 13.6K | 263 |
| KS | $42.01 | $329.8K | 7.9K | 146 |
| MS | $40.96 | $255.1K | 6.2K | 131 |
| GA | $40.69 | $840.1K | 20.6K | 439 |
| AL | $40.06 | $386.9K | 9.7K | 256 |
| UT | $39.05 | $142.6K | 3.7K | 94 |
| NM | $38.98 | $185.4K | 4.8K | 68 |
| LA | $38.01 | $354.4K | 9.3K | 231 |
| MN | $37.99 | $466.1K | 12.3K | 331 |
| IL | $36.73 | $1.3M | 34.4K | 652 |
| OR | $35.51 | $255.5K | 7.2K | 174 |
| MA | $35.27 | $962.8K | 27.3K | 399 |
| KY | $35.03 | $301.5K | 8.6K | 185 |
| IN | $34.82 | $405.3K | 11.6K | 225 |
| NE | $34.62 | $203.8K | 5.9K | 124 |
| IA | $33.76 | $225.5K | 6.7K | 143 |
| MO | $32.84 | $470.3K | 14.3K | 309 |
| MI | $32.74 | $671.1K | 20.5K | 401 |
| PA | $32.66 | $1.2M | 37.5K | 633 |
| ID | $32.55 | $87.5K | 2.7K | 68 |
| NH | $31.10 | $127.6K | 4.1K | 104 |
| AR | $30.97 | $217.3K | 7.0K | 146 |
| OK | $29.90 | $256.6K | 8.6K | 168 |
| WI | $29.89 | $309.6K | 10.4K | 276 |
| OH | $29.75 | $650.8K | 21.9K | 423 |
| ND | $28.27 | $70.3K | 2.5K | 51 |
| ME | $26.84 | $53.5K | 2.0K | 67 |
| WV | $25.22 | $132.3K | 5.2K | 106 |
| MT | $23.44 | $37.3K | 1.6K | 52 |
| Provider | Specialty | State | Payments | Services | Avg/Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guy Bassis | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $392.6K | 3.8K | $103.03 |
| Mabel Imaging Inc | Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF) | CA | $293.9K | 2.9K | $102.77 |
| Gerald Minkowitz | Pathology | NY | $150.6K | 1.5K | $103.79 |
| Saul Ruben | Diagnostic Radiology | NV | $134.1K | 1.7K | $77.97 |
| Patrick Alore | Diagnostic Radiology | CA | $128.1K | 2.5K | $51.67 |
| David Bjelica | Endocrinology | CA | $115.6K | 1.2K | $98.42 |
| Adam Landskowsky | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $110.1K | 1.2K | $94.09 |
| Steven Peyser | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $105.2K | 1.0K | $101.95 |
| Perry Herson | Endocrinology | NY | $96.4K | 935 | $103.10 |
| Nicholas Dzebolo | Interventional Radiology | CA | $94.9K | 934 | $101.63 |
| Karen Schwartz | Endocrinology | NY | $93.9K | 904 | $103.86 |
| Ghobad Azizi | Internal Medicine | NC | $87.4K | 1.1K | $77.13 |
| Ira Fastlich | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $85.5K | 839 | $101.87 |
| Dae Rheem | Gastroenterology | CA | $85.1K | 846 | $100.63 |
| Imran Haque | Internal Medicine | NC | $80.2K | 963 | $83.23 |
| Eran Ben-Levi | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $78.3K | 1.9K | $40.66 |
| Paul Azer | Endocrinology | CA | $75.2K | 762 | $98.65 |
| William Sokol | Allergy/ Immunology | CA | $74.1K | 753 | $98.35 |
| Anthony Caramico | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $72.3K | 810 | $89.25 |
| Gerda Van De Vegte | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $69.2K | 710 | $97.53 |
The data suggests significant pricing inconsistencies for CPT 76536. With a 3.2x price gap between the most and least expensive states, geography plays an outsized role in what Medicare pays for this procedure.
While costs have decreased 10.3% since 2014, the wide state-by-state variation suggests the pricing formula may not adequately account for regional differences.
This analysis is based on publicly available CMS data and does not account for patient complexity, comorbidities, or facility-specific factors that may justify pricing differences.
Note: All data is from publicly available Medicare records. OpenMedicare is an independent journalism project not affiliated with CMS.