Medicare payment locality · Q3 2026 release
San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley CA
MAC 01112 · Locality 05San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa County)
This locality's GPCIs lift Medicare payments above the national average for the Q3 2026 Physician Fee Schedule. Every code below takes the national amount and rescales it by those three indexes.
1.000 is the national baseline. Above raises that component; below lowers it.
Example rates in San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa County)
National vs. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa County) non-facility amounts for common codes, Q3 2026 (before sequestration).
| Code | National | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa County) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0446T | $6,320.12 | $8,896.73 | +40.8% |
| 0447T | $100.87 | $125.81 | +24.7% |
| 0448T | $6,219.58 | $8,744.45 | +40.6% |
| 0509T | $77.82 | $104.97 | +34.9% |
| 0583T | $1,505.04 | $2,089.18 | +38.8% |
| 0596T | $2,019.08 | $2,817.04 | +39.5% |
| 0597T | $596.54 | $828.42 | +38.9% |
| 0605T | $758.53 | $1,067.23 | +40.7% |
| 10004 | $53.11 | $62.40 | +17.5% |
| 10005 | $132.27 | $165.96 | +25.5% |
Need a specific code or a facility rate? Use the rate calculator with this locality selected. Or start from your field's usual procedure mix on the specialty fee schedules.
ZIP codes in this locality
San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa County) covers 254 ZIP codes across CA, per the CMS ZIP-to-locality crosswalk (Q3 2026). 2 of them span more than one locality and need ZIP+4 for an exact match.
Not sure which locality your ZIP is in? Look it up by ZIP code.
Common questions
Why do Medicare rates in San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa County) differ from the national amount?
Medicare scales each code's work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs by this locality's three GPCIs before applying the conversion factor. Local labor, rent, and liability costs therefore move the final amount up or down. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa County) currently pays above the national average for the Q3 2026 release.
How do I know if my address is in this locality?
Medicare assigns localities by ZIP code rather than by city or county lines, so neighboring addresses can fall in different localities. Look up your ZIP to find your locality. About 2 ZIP codes in San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa County) span more than one locality and need the ZIP+4 to resolve exactly.
Do commercial insurers or Medicare Advantage plans use this locality?
No. Medicare payment localities belong to Original Medicare's Physician Fee Schedule alone. Medicare Advantage plans and commercial insurers set their own geographic adjustments and negotiated network rates. They're free to draw their own boundaries, though many still benchmark off the Medicare amount.
Does my locality affect what I owe as a patient?
Yes. Original Medicare calculates your 20% coinsurance on the locality-adjusted amount rather than the national one. The same code can therefore leave you owing more or less depending on where you're treated. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa County) pays above the national average, so patients here typically owe a bit more in coinsurance than the national amount would suggest.
Why did my Medicare payment change even though I didn't change what I billed?
GPCIs and the conversion factor update with each quarterly CMS release (January, April, July, October). The same code in the same locality can therefore pay a different amount quarter to quarter, with nothing on your end changing. See what changed each release.
Source & method
GPCIs and rates computed from the CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Q3 2026 release (effective July 2026). ZIP coverage from the CMS ZIP-to-locality crosswalk, Q3 2026 release. Example amounts take the national non-facility figures and rescale them by this locality's GPCIs, before the ~2% sequestration cut. Releases are immutable: a rate retrieved for a past quarter always reflects that release.
Did this answer your question about San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa County) (CA)?
We're building this out in the open. Tell us what you were actually trying to work out and we'll either answer you directly or build the page that does.