The “Top-Down” Approach to the Evaluation of Children with Febrile Urinary Tract Infection
Table 1
CPT code
Charge
Total charge
U/S, renal bladder
$651
$832
$181
VCUG
74455
$779
$852
74455.26
$73
DMSA
78700
$781
$968
78700.26
$187
Assumptions used in calculations:
Positive DMSA renal scans among children with febrile UTI
50–80%
Presence of VUR among children with febrile UTI
25–50%
Presence of VUR among children with positive DMSA scan
66%
Charge per case of VUR diagnosed
Bottom-up
$3368–$8420
Top-down
$2630–$3033
*The first CPT code and charge relates to the technical fee for performing the examination, while the second code (.26 modified) relates to the professional component.
