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Fee Schedules

A fee schedule is a complete listing of fees used by Medicare to pay doctors or other providers/suppliers. This comprehensive listing of fee maximums is used to reimburse a physician and/or other providers on a fee-for-service basis. Providers may access the most current fee schedules from the CMS link(s) below.

Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) - Access MPFS amounts and related information concerning the development of such payment amounts.

Physician Fee Schedule Lookup - Access a tool that allows providers to search by HCPCS code; providing detailed payment information for specific services covered under the MPFS.

Ambulance Fee Schedule - Access a fee schedule which applies to all ambulance services, including volunteer, municipal, private, independent, and institutional providers, i.e., hospitals, critical access hospitals (except when it is the only ambulance service within 35 miles), and skilled nursing facilities.

Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule - Access the Outpatient clinical laboratory services fee schedule.

Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) - Access details about all services paid under the PPS which are classified into groups called Ambulatory Payment Classifications (APCs). Services in each APC are similar clinically and in terms of the resources they require. A payment rate is established for each APC.

Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) - Access information about the Opioid Treatment Program, enrollment, and payment schedules.

Prospective Payment Systems (PPS) - Access details about each PPS (method of reimbursement in which Medicare payment is made based on a predetermined, fixed amount). The payment amount for a particular service is derived based on the classification system of that service. CMS uses separate PPSs for reimbursement to acute inpatient hospitals, home health agencies, hospice, hospital outpatient, inpatient psychiatric facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term care hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities.

PC/TC Indicators

  • 0 - Physician Service Codes - Identifies codes that describe physician services. Examples include visits, consultations, and surgical procedures. The concept of PC/TC does not apply since physician services cannot be split into professional and technical components. Modifiers 26 and TC cannot be used with these codes. The RVUS include values for physician work, practice expense and malpractice expense. There are some codes with no work RVUs.
  • 1 - Diagnostic Tests for Radiology Services - Identifies codes that describe diagnostic tests. Examples are pulmonary function tests or therapeutic radiology procedures, e.g., radiation therapy. These codes have both a professional and technical component. Modifiers 26 and TC can be used with these codes. The total RVUs for codes reported with a 26 modifier include values for physician work, practice expense, and malpractice expense. The total RVUs for codes reported with a TC modifier include values for practice expense and malpractice expense only. The total RVUs for codes reported without a modifier include values for physician work, practice expense, and malpractice expense.
  • 2 - Professional Component Only Codes - This indicator identifies stand-alone codes that describe the physician work portion of selected diagnostic tests for which there is an associated code that describes the technical component of the diagnostic test only and another associated code that describes the global test. An example of a professional component only code is 93010--Electrocardiogram; Interpretation and Report. Modifiers 26 and TC cannot be used with these codes. The total RVUs for professional component only codes include values for physician work, practice expense, and malpractice expense.
  • 3 - Technical Component Only Codes - This indicator identifies stand- alone codes that describe the technical component (i.e., staff and equipment costs) of selected diagnostic tests for which there is an associated code that describes the professional component of the diagnostic test only. An example of a technical component only code is 93005--Electrocardiogram; Tracing Only, without interpretation and report. It also identifies codes that are covered only as diagnostic tests and therefore do not have a related professional code. Modifiers 26 and TC cannot be used with these codes. The total RVUs for technical component only codes include values for practice expense and malpractice expense only.
  • 4 - Global Test Only Codes - This indicator identifies stand-alone codes that describe selected diagnostic tests for which there are associated codes that describe (a) the professional component of the test only, and (b) the technical component of the test only. Modifiers 26 and TC cannot be used with these codes. The total RVUs for global procedure only codes include values for physician work, practice expense, and malpractice expense. The total RVUs for global procedure only codes equals the sum of the total RVUs for the professional and technical components only codes combined.
  • 5 - Incident To Codes - This indicator identifies codes that describe services covered incident to a physician's service when they are provided by auxiliary personnel employed by the physician and working under his or her direct personal supervision. Payment may not be made by carriers for these services when they are provided to hospital inpatients or patients in a hospital outpatient department. Modifiers 26 and TCcannot be used with these codes.
  • 6 - Laboratory Physician Interpretation Codes - This indicator identifies clinical laboratory codes for which separate payment for interpretations by laboratory physicians may be made. Actual performance of the tests is paid for under the lab fee schedule. Modifier TC cannot be used with these codes. The total RVUs for laboratory physician interpretation codes include values for physician work, practice expense, and malpractice expense.
  • 7 - Physical therapy service, for which payment may not be made--Payment may not be made if the service is provided to either a patient in a hospital outpatient department or to an inpatient of the hospital by an independently practicing physical or occupational therapist.
  • 8 - Physician interpretation codes - This indicator identifies the processional component of clinical laboratory codes for which separate payment may be made only if the physician interprets an abnormal smear for hospital inpatient. This applies to codes 88141, 85060 and P3001-26. No TC billing is recognized because payment for the underlying clinical laboratory test is made to the hospital, generally through the PPS rate. No payment is recognized for codes 88141, 85060 or P3001-26 furnished to hospital outpatients or non-hospital patients. The physician interpretation is paid through the clinical laboratory fee schedule payment for the clinical laboratory test.
  • 9 - Not Applicable - Concept of a professional/technical component does not apply

 

Last Updated Sep 12 , 2023