HCPCS code G0447: Obesity counseling, face-to-face, 15 minutes2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Report G0447 for 15 minutes of individual, face-to-face behavioral counseling to support weight loss for a Medicare patient with obesity.
Medicare pays $35.01–$41.26 for G0447 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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On this page 9 sections
What G0447 covers
G0447 represents individual, face-to-face behavioral counseling focused on weight loss for a patient with a body mass index of 30 or higher. In primary care, a physician or other qualified practitioner typically assesses eating and activity habits, discusses practical changes to nutrition and physical activity, sets weight-loss goals, and monitors progress. The service is distinct from simply recording a patient’s weight or giving brief advice during another visit.
Report the code when the documented encounter includes the obesity-focused counseling, not just routine evaluation of weight or obesity-related conditions. Record the face-to-face counseling time, relevant behavior assessment, goals, and plan. CMS assigns work, practice-expense, and malpractice relative value units to G0447, with different practice-expense inputs for office and facility settings.
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 G0447 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
$35.01 to $41.26
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | $35.15 | $26.73 |
| Chico, CA | $35.01 | $26.59 |
| El Centro, CA | $35.01 | $26.60 |
| Fresno, CA | $35.01 | $26.59 |
| Hanford, CA | $35.01 | $26.59 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $36.76 | $27.68 |
| Madera, CA | $35.01 | $26.59 |
| Marin County, CA | $40.45 | $29.62 |
| Merced, CA | $35.01 | $26.59 |
| Modesto, CA | $35.01 | $26.59 |
| Napa, CA | $38.71 | $28.59 |
| Oxnard, CA | $36.44 | $27.36 |
| Redding, CA | $35.01 | $26.59 |
| Rest of California | $35.01 | $26.59 |
| Riverside, CA | $35.45 | $27.03 |
| Sacramento, CA | $36.24 | $27.30 |
| Salinas, CA | $36.09 | $27.18 |
| San Benito County, CA | $41.26 | $30.19 |
| San Diego, CA | $36.55 | $27.36 |
| San Francisco, CA | $40.41 | $29.58 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $35.55 | $26.80 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | $41.08 | $30.00 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $36.60 | $27.26 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $36.12 | $27.16 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $36.94 | $27.51 |
| Stockton, CA | $35.01 | $26.59 |
| Vallejo, CA | $38.64 | $28.52 |
| Visalia, CA | $35.01 | $26.59 |
| Yuba City, CA | $35.01 | $26.59 |
How the G0447 rate is calculated
Each of G0447’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 · G0447
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.60
0.60 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.38
0.38 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.04
0.04 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
1.0200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$34.07
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for G0447
G0447 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 · G0447
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
$34.07
- Non-facility (office)
- $34.07
- Facility
- $26.39
Higher because the practice carries its own overhead.
G0447 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- G0446Cardiovascular counselingAnnual, individual, 15 minutes
- G0446 is behavioral therapy focused on cardiovascular risk reduction. Use G0447 for face-to-face counseling directed at weight loss in a patient with obesity.
- G0443Alcohol counselingBrief behavioral service
- G0443 covers brief counseling for alcohol misuse. G0447 addresses obesity-related behavior change and weight loss.
- G0444Depression screeningAnnual Medicare preventive screen
- G0444 is an annual depression screening service, not weight-loss counseling. G0447 requires an obesity-focused counseling encounter.
G0447 billing questions
Which patients qualify for G0447?
The Medicare obesity-counseling benefit is for patients with a BMI of 30 or higher. The record should support the patient’s obesity status and the counseling provided.
How is G0447 different from cardiovascular counseling G0446?
G0447 addresses weight loss and obesity-related behavior change. G0446 focuses on behavioral therapy to reduce cardiovascular risk.
What documentation supports G0447?
Document face-to-face counseling time, relevant eating and activity habits, weight-loss goals, and the behavior-change plan. A weight measurement alone does not describe the counseling service.
How much time does G0447 represent?
G0447 represents 15 minutes of face-to-face obesity counseling. Record the time spent on that counseling rather than unrelated work performed during the visit.
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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