Comparison
Localis vs. the CMS PFS Look-up Tool
CMS's own Physician Fee Schedule Look-up Tool is the free, official source this entire site is computed from—it's not a competitor to avoid, it's the primary source we cite on every page. The comparison below is about what the government tool is built to do (a per-code, per-locality search UI) versus what a billing consultant, practice, or software vendor often also needs (a metered API, a payer-multiplier layer, and a versioned historical archive).
| Feature | Localis | CMS's Physician Fee Schedule Look-up Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free—lookups, the payment calculator, contract analysis, and API keys. Paid tiers are planned for deep historical access, saved workflows, and production API volume | Free |
| Code + locality + year lookup | Yes | Yes |
| Programmatic API with auth tokens and metered quotas | A documented REST API is live, with free self-serve keys—create an account and mint a token, no card and no waitlist | The look-up tool itself is a search UI; CMS separately publishes bulk data files and a distinct API at pfs.data.cms.gov for the underlying dataset |
| Contracted-rate ("% of Medicare") modeling | Yes—a stored payer-multiplier layer on top of the Medicare rate | Not part of the tool's public description—it reports the Medicare amount only |
| Per-figure source citation (file, row, formula) | Yes, on every amount | Not shown in the tool itself |
| Rate-change email alerts | Yes, per code or general digest | Not offered |
Bottom line Copy link
If you just need one code's rate for one quarter, the CMS tool is free and authoritative—use it directly. We exist for the layer on top: an API for software that needs rates programmatically, contracted-rate math for consultants and practices, and a versioned archive for anyone who needs to reproduce a past quarter's number.
Reconcile a whole remittance, not one line
The calculator checks expected pay by locality and setting, free. The API returns the same number—amount, status, release, and full citations in one call—on a free, self-serve key.
Frequently asked Copy link
Is the CMS Physician Fee Schedule Look-up Tool free?
Yes—it's the official, free government tool, and it's the same underlying data this entire site is computed from. For a one-off code, locality, and year lookup, use it directly.
Does CMS offer an API for Medicare fee schedule data?
CMS publishes the underlying dataset as downloadable bulk files and, separately, an API at pfs.data.cms.gov for that raw dataset—distinct from the search-UI look-up tool itself, which has no API of its own.
What does Localis add on top of the free CMS tool?
A REST API for pulling rates programmatically, contracted-rate ("% of Medicare") modeling, per-figure source citations, and rate-change email alerts—none of which the look-up tool does.
Sources Copy link
Feature and pricing claims about CMS's Physician Fee Schedule Look-up Tool reflect their public marketing pages at the time this was written and may have changed—confirm directly with them before deciding.
Keep exploring Copy link
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