CPT code 96132: Neuropsychological evaluation, first hour2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Reports a physician or qualified health care professional’s first hour of interpreting neuropsychological findings and integrating them into clinical conclusions and a plan.
Medicare pays $125.92–$145.77 for 96132 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.
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What 96132 covers
A physician or other qualified health care professional reports this service for professional evaluation of neuropsychological findings, such as cognitive test results considered alongside the patient’s history, records, and clinical presentation. It is used when a diagnostic question calls for synthesis of cognitive functioning—for example, evaluating changes after a brain injury or assessing suspected cognitive impairment. The work may include record review, interpretation, clinical decision-making, treatment planning, and preparation of the report. It is distinct from administering and scoring the tests themselves.
Report 96132 for the first hour of the physician’s or qualified professional’s evaluation work; report additional time with 96133 when supported. Documentation should identify the clinical question, relevant data reviewed, interpretation and conclusions, plan, report, and time spent on the evaluation service. The CMS physician fee schedule assigns work, practice expense, and malpractice RVU inputs, with separate office and facility practice expense inputs. Test administration and scoring may be reported separately when performed and documented as distinct services.
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 96132 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 payment localities
$125.92 to $145.77
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | $126.26 | $100.27 |
| Chico, CA | $125.92 | $99.93 |
| El Centro, CA | $125.93 | $99.94 |
| Fresno, CA | $125.92 | $99.93 |
| Hanford, CA | $125.92 | $99.93 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $131.26 | $103.21 |
| Madera, CA | $125.92 | $99.93 |
| Marin County, CA | $143.21 | $109.77 |
| Merced, CA | $125.92 | $99.93 |
| Modesto, CA | $125.92 | $99.93 |
| Napa, CA | $137.42 | $106.17 |
| Oxnard, CA | $130.02 | $101.99 |
| Redding, CA | $125.92 | $99.93 |
| Rest of California | $125.92 | $99.93 |
| Riverside, CA | $126.75 | $100.75 |
| Sacramento, CA | $129.85 | $102.27 |
| Salinas, CA | $129.28 | $101.80 |
| San Benito County, CA | $145.77 | $111.58 |
| San Diego, CA | $130.48 | $102.12 |
| San Francisco, CA | $143.13 | $109.69 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $127.40 | $100.39 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | $145.45 | $111.25 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $130.35 | $101.54 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $129.27 | $101.62 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $131.57 | $102.45 |
| Stockton, CA | $125.92 | $99.93 |
| Vallejo, CA | $137.31 | $106.05 |
| Visalia, CA | $125.92 | $99.93 |
| Yuba City, CA | $125.92 | $99.93 |
How the 96132 rate is calculated
Each of 96132’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.
How the rate is built · 96132
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work2.56
2.56 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.03
1.03 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.07
0.07 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
3.6600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$122.25
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 96132
96132 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.
Place of service · 96132
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
$122.25
- Non-facility (office)
- $122.25
- Facility
- $98.53
Higher because the practice carries its own overhead.
96132 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 96130Psychological evaluationFirst hour
- 96130 represents psychological testing evaluation; 96132 represents neuropsychological testing evaluation. Choose according to the nature of the evaluation, not merely the test format.
- 96133Neuropsychological evaluationEach additional hour
- 96133 reports additional evaluation time after the first hour represented by 96132.
- 96136Test administrationPhysician or QHP, first 30 minutes
- 96136 covers physician or qualified professional test administration and scoring; 96132 covers the professional evaluation and synthesis of findings.
- 96138Psychological testingTechnician, first 30 minutes
- 96138 covers test administration and scoring by a technician. It does not represent the physician’s or qualified professional’s evaluation work reported with 96132.
96132 billing questions
When should 96132 be used instead of 96130?
Use 96132 for professional evaluation of neuropsychological findings; 96130 is for psychological testing evaluation. The distinction is the type of evaluation, not simply whether standardized tests were used.
How is additional evaluation time reported?
96132 represents the first hour. Report 96133 for additional evaluation time when the documentation supports it.
Does 96132 include test administration and scoring?
It represents the professional evaluation and synthesis of findings, not the separate administration and scoring work. When those services are performed and documented, the applicable administration and scoring code may also be reported.
What documentation supports 96132?
Document the clinical question, records and test findings considered, professional interpretation, clinical conclusions, plan or recommendations, report, and time spent on the evaluation.
Can 96132 be reported with 96136 or 96138?
They represent different work: 96132 is the professional evaluation, while 96136 and 96138 represent test administration and scoring by a physician or qualified professional and by a technician, respectively. Report only services actually performed and documented.
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
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