CPT code 92616: Swallow evaluation, laryngeal sensory testing2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Washington, DC area

In Washington, DC area, Medicare pays $261.79 for 92616 in the office and $86.31 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 92616 nationwide

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 92616 covers

A clinician passes a flexible endoscope through the nose to view the pharynx and larynx during swallowing. The examination includes sensory testing by delivering stimuli to the laryngeal adductor mechanism and evaluating the response. Speech-language pathologists and otolaryngologists commonly perform or participate in this assessment in outpatient clinics, hospitals, and other settings where swallowing disorders are evaluated. Recorded views help document findings such as airway protection, residue, and the response to sensory stimulation.

Report 92616 for the endoscopic swallowing evaluation that includes this laryngeal sensory testing, rather than a swallowing assessment without endoscopy or sensory testing. The record should identify the endoscopic examination, the stimuli administered, observed sensory responses, swallowing findings, and the clinical interpretation. When the work is divided and only interpretation and reporting are performed, 92617 is the related code to consider. CMS values 92616 under the Physician Fee Schedule using work, practice-expense, and malpractice inputs; practice-expense values differ by office and facility setting.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

How Washington, DC area compares for 92616

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 92616 runs from $204.35 in Arkansas to $307.51 in San Benito County, CA. Washington, DC area pays $261.79. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

92616 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

See 92616 in every payment locality

How the 92616 rate is calculated

Each of 92616’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for 92616

92616 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.

Codes related to 92616

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

How 92616 has changed in Washington, DC area

Price 92616 for an earlier date of service

Where the Washington, DC area rate applies

Washington, DC area is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 1 cities and communities in District of Columbia. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Washington

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Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates