CPT code 95870: Needle EMG, limited muscle study2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

Medicare pays $93.30–$119.85 for 95870 in the office in California, from Chico, CA to San Benito County, CA. Which amount applies depends on the service address.

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

What 95870 covers

A clinician inserts a fine needle electrode into selected muscles and evaluates their electrical activity at rest and during contraction. This limited examination may help assess a focused concern, such as localized weakness or suspected nerve-related muscle changes. Neurologists and physiatrists commonly perform needle EMG in an electrodiagnostic laboratory, outpatient clinic, or hospital setting. The muscles examined may be in one limb or in an axial area; the specific code for the service depends on the body region and scope of the examination.

Choose this code when the documented needle examination is limited, rather than a broader study of one or more extremities. The report should identify the muscles examined, the clinical question, and the findings supporting the interpretation. CMS recognizes professional and technical components: modifier 26 identifies the interpretation, modifier TC identifies equipment and staff, and reporting without either modifier represents the global service. The professional and technical components are separately priced when billed with their respective modifiers.

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.

Where 95870 pays more and less in California

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

29 of 29 payment localities

How the 95870 rate is calculated

Each of 95870’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 95870

The CMS indicators that decide how 95870 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 26

95870 compared with similar codes

How to choose

95860Needle EMGOne extremity

95870 is for a limited examination in one extremity or axial muscles. 95860 describes a broader examination of one extremity.

95869Needle EMGThoracic paraspinal muscles

Use 95869 for thoracic paraspinal muscles specifically; 95870 covers a limited extremity or other axial muscle study.

95885Needle EMGLimited, with nerve conduction

95885 describes a limited needle EMG performed with nerve conduction studies. Choose based on whether the documented EMG is reported in that testing context.

95886Needle EMG add-onComplete study, each extremity

95886 is for a more extensive needle EMG performed with nerve conduction studies; 95870 describes a limited study.

Codes related to 95870

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

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