CPT 99156
Where the non-facility amount comes from
- Physician relative value file (PPRRVU) CMS download page PPRRVU2025_Oct.csv in 2025.zip · row 12,785 hcpcs = 99156 (col 1) · status_code = A (col 4) · work_rvu = 1.65 (col 6) · pe_rvu_nonfacility = 0.39 (col 7) · pe_rvu_facility = 0.39 (col 9) · mp_rvu = 0.16 (col 11)
- Physician relative value file (PPRRVU) CMS download page PPRRVU2025_Oct.csv in 2025.zip · row 11 conversion_factor = 32.3465 (col 25)
(work_rvu × work_gpci + pe_rvu × pe_gpci + mp_rvu × mp_gpci) × conversion_factor
= (1.65 × 1.000 + 0.39 × 1.000 + 0.16 × 1.000) × $32.3465 = $71.16
Where the facility amount comes from
- Physician relative value file (PPRRVU) CMS download page PPRRVU2025_Oct.csv in 2025.zip · row 12,785 hcpcs = 99156 (col 1) · status_code = A (col 4) · work_rvu = 1.65 (col 6) · pe_rvu_nonfacility = 0.39 (col 7) · pe_rvu_facility = 0.39 (col 9) · mp_rvu = 0.16 (col 11)
- Physician relative value file (PPRRVU) CMS download page PPRRVU2025_Oct.csv in 2025.zip · row 11 conversion_factor = 32.3465 (col 25)
(work_rvu × work_gpci + pe_rvu × pe_gpci + mp_rvu × mp_gpci) × conversion_factor
= (1.65 × 1.000 + 0.39 × 1.000 + 0.16 × 1.000) × $32.3465 = $71.16
How much did Medicare pay for CPT 99156 in Q4 2025?
Medicare paid $71.16 for CPT 99156 in the office (non-facility) setting and $71.16 in a facility under the Q4 2025 Physician Fee Schedule, effective October 2025. These are the national allowed amounts before the ~2% sequestration cut and before locality (GPCI) adjustment.
Rates by locality
The amounts above use GPCI 1.000, a national baseline no locality actually bills at. Medicare rescales every code by the local Geographic Practice Cost Indices before paying it, so what 99156 pays depends on where the service is furnished. Tap a state for its localities.
99156 non-facility rate by metro area
Highest-paying metro first. Each figure is that payment locality's own GPCI-adjusted amount.
Long Island, NY
$81.87
New York City, NY
$80.12
Queens, NY
$79.48
Miami, FL
$79.27
San Jose, CA
$78.99
San Francisco, CA
$78.27
Washington, DC
$77.50
Chicago, IL
$77.09
Northern New Jersey, NJ
$76.91
Seattle, WA
$75.47
Boston, MA
$75.34
Fort Lauderdale, FL
$75.12
Suburban Chicago, IL
$75.02
Detroit, MI
$74.86
Baltimore, MD
$74.81
Los Angeles, CA
$74.25
Houston, TX
$74.06
Philadelphia, PA
$74.03
San Diego, CA
$72.85
Sacramento, CA
$72.67
Riverside, CA
$72.52
Atlanta, GA
$71.79
Portland, OR
$71.54
Austin, TX
$71.30
Fort Worth, TX
$71.22
Dallas, TX
$71.20
New Orleans, LA
$71.15
St. Louis, MO
$70.53
Kansas City, MO
$70.46
99156 facility rate by metro area
Highest-paying metro first. Each figure is that payment locality's own GPCI-adjusted amount.
Long Island, NY
$81.87
New York City, NY
$80.12
Queens, NY
$79.48
Miami, FL
$79.27
San Jose, CA
$78.99
San Francisco, CA
$78.27
Washington, DC
$77.50
Chicago, IL
$77.09
Northern New Jersey, NJ
$76.91
Seattle, WA
$75.47
Boston, MA
$75.34
Fort Lauderdale, FL
$75.12
Suburban Chicago, IL
$75.02
Detroit, MI
$74.86
Baltimore, MD
$74.81
Los Angeles, CA
$74.25
Houston, TX
$74.06
Philadelphia, PA
$74.03
San Diego, CA
$72.85
Sacramento, CA
$72.67
Riverside, CA
$72.52
Atlanta, GA
$71.79
Portland, OR
$71.54
Austin, TX
$71.30
Fort Worth, TX
$71.22
Dallas, TX
$71.20
New Orleans, LA
$71.15
St. Louis, MO
$70.53
Kansas City, MO
$70.46
Q4 2025 amounts, computed with each locality's own GPCIs, before the ~2% sequestration cut. A state with more than one payment locality shows a range — its tile is colored by the mean across those localities, which is a shading choice, not an amount anyone is paid.
How often 99156 is billed
Across Original Medicare in CY2024, 99156 ranked #2,627 of the 7,879 CPT codes billed to Medicare that year, ranked by patients served or total allowed dollars.
2024 Medicare fee-for-service only, national totals — Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and commercial volume are excluded, so real-world use runs higher. This is a calendar-year snapshot from the CMS Physician & Other Practitioners dataset, on a different cycle from the Q4 2025 fee schedule the rates above come from.
What does 99156 cost?
Six different figures get called "the cost" of a code. They answer different questions, and only the first group comes from the CMS release.
Computed from the Q4 2025 CMS release
- Medicare allowed amount
- $71.16
- Medicare's share
- $56.93
- Patient coinsurance
- $14.23
- Limiting charge
- $77.74
The full price Medicare recognises for 99156 in the office setting. Everything below derives from it.
80% of the allowed amount, before the ~2% sequestration cut.
The remaining 20%, once the annual Part B deductible is met. Medigap or Medicaid often covers it.
The ceiling a non-participating provider can bill a patient on an unassigned claim — 109.25% of the allowed amount.
Illustrative — arithmetic on the Medicare amount, not observed prices
- Typical commercial rate
- $71.16–$177.90
- Typical cash price
- ~$71.16
Most plans land between 1× and 2.5× Medicare. Hospital-owned and concentrated markets go higher.
Many practices set a self-pay rate at or near the Medicare amount, since it saves them billing overhead — but each one sets its own, and we hold no cash-price data.
National Q4 2025 figures at GPCI 1.000. Adjust for your locality and sequestration, or see the questions below for each figure in full.
Common questions
Is $71.16 what a practice actually receives?
It's the national allowed amount — the starting point. Medicare pays 80% of it ($56.93) and the patient owes 20% coinsurance ($14.23). Sequestration trims Medicare's share by about 2%, your locality's GPCIs scale the total up or down, and the expected-payment calculator applies all three. What lands is practice revenue covering staff, space, equipment, and billing — the practice-expense RVU below is CMS's estimate of that overhead share — not clinician take-home pay.
Sources: Budget Control Act sequestration provisions; CMS Medicare Fee-for-Service payment guidance; CMS Geographic Practice Cost Index (GPCI) files; CMS Physician Fee Schedule overview (cms.gov).
What's the limiting charge for 99156?
$77.74 in the office setting — the ceiling on what a non-participating provider can bill the patient on an unassigned claim. That's 109.25% of the $71.16 amount above. The non-participating amount is 95% of the fee schedule rate ($67.60), and the statutory cap is 115% of that. See limiting charge.
Sources: CMS Physician Fee Schedule overview (cms.gov); CMS Medicare Fee-for-Service payment guidance.
When does this rate change?
CMS publishes a fee schedule release every quarter (January, April, July, October), and each is versioned here. See what changed each release, or get an email when a new release moves rates.
Sources: CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Relative Value Files.
Saw this code on your bill?
What is a 99156 visit in patient-friendly terms?
We haven't written the plain-language description for CPT 99156 yet — ask your provider's billing office what service it covers in the meantime.
I'm a patient and saw 99156 on a bill — what will I owe?
On traditional Medicare, you typically owe 20% coinsurance — about $14.23 of the office amount above — once your annual Part B deductible is met. Supplemental coverage (Medigap, Medicaid, or a retiree plan) often picks up that share. With private insurance, your cost follows your plan's negotiated rate, deductible, and copay. Your explanation of benefits (EOB) carries the exact split; the provider's bill won't.
Did I get overcharged for 99156 given my level of care?
Start from the Medicare office amount here: $71.16. Commercial plans usually pay 1× to 2.5× that — roughly $71.16 to $177.90 for 99156 — so a charge far outside that band is worth a call. Then check that the code matches the visit you remember and that the itemized bill matches your explanation of benefits (EOB). The full three-check walkthrough, including what "upcoding" looks like, is in how to check a medical bill.
What does 99156 cost with private or commercial insurance?
Every insurer negotiates its own rate, anchored to the Medicare amount. Most physician services land around 1× to 2.5× Medicare — roughly $71.16 to $177.90 for 99156 in the office setting, with hospital-owned and concentrated markets going higher. Those are arithmetic on the Medicare figure above — not observed prices, since we hold no nationwide claims database. Your explanation of benefits (EOB) carries the rate your plan actually negotiated; the market forces behind the multiple are in how to check a medical bill.
What's the cash price for 99156 if I'm paying without insurance?
Many practices set self-pay at or near the Medicare office amount — $71.16 here — because cash up front saves them billing overhead. That's a common pattern, not a figure we observed: each practice sets its own cash price and CMS has no say in it, so ask for the self-pay price before your visit. More in how to check a medical bill.
Contracted rate: % of Medicare
Commercial payer contracts usually price off the Medicare amount above ("BCBS pays 115% of Medicare"). Enter your contract's percentage below to see what 99156 pays at that rate — $71.16 is 100%.
We want to build this: store your multipliers once, and every code page shows your rate instead of Medicare's. Tell us if you'd use it →
How this amount is computed
CPT 99156 has a work RVU of 1.65, a non-facility practice expense RVU of 0.39, a facility practice expense RVU of 0.39 and a malpractice RVU of 0.16 — for total non-facility RVUs of 2.20 and total facility RVUs of 2.20 in the Q4 2025 release.
amount = (work RVU × work GPCI + PE RVU × PE GPCI + MP RVU × MP GPCI) × conversion factor. National amounts use GPCI = 1.000. To price an RVU figure of your own, use the RVU-to-dollars converter.
| Component | RVU |
|---|---|
| Work RVU | 1.65 |
| Practice expense RVU (non-facility) | 0.39 |
| Practice expense RVU (facility) | 0.39 |
| Malpractice RVU | 0.16 |
Every rate combines three parts: work (the clinician’s time, skill and effort), practice expense (office overhead — higher when the service is done in a doctor’s own office), and malpractice (the share of liability-insurance cost). A blank means CMS publishes no national number for that part. Read it as unknown, and never as zero.
Rate history by release
National non-facility amount for 99156 across quarterly releases. Down 0.0% since Q1 2025 · high $71.16 in Q1 2025
| Release | Status | Non-facility | Facility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 Jun 30, 2026 – present | A | $71.14 (0.0%) | $71.14 (0.0%) |
| Q2 2026 Mar 10, 2026 – Jun 29, 2026 | A | $71.14 (0.0%) | $71.14 (0.0%) |
| Q1 2026 Dec 29, 2025 – Mar 9, 2026 | A | $71.14 (0.0%) | $71.14 (0.0%) |
| Q4 2025 Sep 11, 2025 – Dec 28, 2025 | A | $71.16 (0.0%) | $71.16 (0.0%) |
| Q3 2025 Jun 5, 2025 – Sep 10, 2025 | A | $71.16 (0.0%) | $71.16 (0.0%) |
| Q2 2025 Jun 5, 2025 – Jun 4, 2025 | A | $71.16 (0.0%) | $71.16 (0.0%) |
| Q1 2025 Dec 23, 2024 – Jun 4, 2025 | A | $71.16 | $71.16 |
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Source & method
This is computed from CMS's Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Q4 2025 release (schedule pfs, effective October 2025). National amounts apply a GPCI of 1.000 and leave sequestration off. The status indicator decides payability, never the RVU values, so a blank RVU stays blank. Releases are immutable: a rate retrieved for a past quarter always reflects that release. Commercial and cash-pay figures anywhere on this page are arithmetic on the Medicare amount, using commonly cited reimbursement ranges. They're illustrative, and no nationwide claims database stands behind them.
Conversion factor $32.3465 read from the same file, row 11, column 25.
Use the (i) buttons next to each amount above for the exact row, columns, and math.
Cite this rate
This link keeps pointing at the Q4 2025 figures, even after a newer release lands.
CPT 99156 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rate: $71.16 (Q4 2025). Localis. https://localishealth.com/cpt/99156/2025/D