What it captures Copy link
The work RVU reflects the clinician’s own effort: the time the service takes, the technical skill and judgment it demands, the physical effort, and the stress that comes with patient risk. Practice overhead and liability insurance are left out—they have their own practice expense and malpractice RVUs.
How it affects payment Copy link
Each RVU component is multiplied by its matching geographic index (GPCI), the three products are summed, and the total is multiplied by the conversion factor. The work RVU pairs with the work GPCI. All else equal, a higher work RVU means a higher payment. The rate breakdown on any code page itemizes it—for example, CPT 99213.
Blank does not mean zero Copy link
Some services involve no physician work. The technical component of a diagnostic test, for example, carries a work RVU of 0.00. A blank work RVU means something else: carrier-priced codes and codes with non-payable statuses may have no national value at all.
Try the formula Copy link
Enter a code's RVUs (from any code page on this site), your locality's GPCIs (1.000 for the national amount), and the conversion factor. For example, RVUs of 1.30 work + 1.05 practice expense + 0.10 malpractice at national GPCIs total 2.45 adjusted RVUs—at a $32.00 conversion factor that is 2.45 × $32.00 = $78.40.
Fill in the RVUs and conversion factor to see the computed amount. The conversion factor is prefilled with the current standard (non-QP) figure, $33.4009. Sequestration is not applied here.
Frequently asked Copy link
Is the work RVU the same across the country?
Yes. The work RVU is national. Geographic differences come afterward, through the work GPCI.
Does a higher work RVU always mean higher pay?
It raises the work portion of the calculation. The final amount also depends on the practice expense and malpractice RVUs, the local GPCIs, and the conversion factor.
Sources Copy link
- CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Relative Value Files
- CMS Physician Fee Schedule overview (cms.gov)
Written from primary CMS sources—see how we source, compute, and verify everything on this site.
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