HCPCS G0473: Group counselingMedicare rate & RVUs
Report G0473 for a 30-minute group obesity counseling session with 2-10 participants when Medicare coverage requirements for obesity counseling are met.
Medicare pays $12.69 for G0473 nationally in the office and $10.02 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $11.87–$16.69.
Medicare rate · G0473
Group counseling
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 0.23
- Total RVUs
- 0.38
- Global days
- XXX
National rate · 2026
$12.69
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for G0473 → · Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 10 sections
What G0473 covers
G0473 represents a face-to-face group session focused on behavioral strategies for weight management, including nutrition choices, physical activity, and sustained behavior change. It is used for a group of 2-10 participants and represents a 30-minute service. Primary care clinicians commonly furnish this counseling in an office or outpatient setting; qualified staff may also participate when permitted under the applicable supervision and coverage requirements.
Select G0473 for the group format rather than individual obesity counseling. Medicare obesity counseling generally requires the beneficiary to meet the BMI eligibility threshold and the service to be furnished in an eligible primary care setting. Document the counseling content, the beneficiary’s attendance, the group size, and the service duration. CMS assigns work and practice-expense RVUs to the code; report the service for each beneficiary who attended, not a separate unit for each other participant.
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 G0473 pays more and less
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
109 payment localities
$11.87 to $16.69
109 of 109 payment localities
G0473 rates by state
Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.
Explore a state
Local rates. Clear comparisons.
Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.
$11.87
$16.69
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
View every state and territory as a table
| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $16.69 | 1 |
| AL | $11.96 | 1 |
| AR | $11.87 | 1 |
| AZ | $12.50 | 1 |
| CA | $13.12–$15.45 | 29 |
| CO | $13.01 | 1 |
| CT | $13.28 | 1 |
| DC | $13.98 | 1 |
| DE | $12.64 | 1 |
| FL | $12.65–$13.39 | 3 |
| GA | $12.25–$12.86 | 2 |
| GU | $13.19 | 1 |
| HI | $13.19 | 1 |
| IA | $12.09 | 1 |
| ID | $12.14 | 1 |
| IL | $12.47–$13.20 | 4 |
| IN | $12.18 | 1 |
| KS | $12.08 | 1 |
| KY | $12.14 | 1 |
| LA | $12.14–$12.46 | 2 |
| MA | $13.00–$13.88 | 2 |
| MD | $12.80–$13.98 | 3 |
| ME | $12.19–$12.53 | 2 |
| MI | $12.33–$12.76 | 2 |
| MN | $12.59 | 1 |
| MO | $12.04–$12.47 | 3 |
| MS | $11.96 | 1 |
| MT | $12.69 | 1 |
| NC | $12.26 | 1 |
| ND | $12.49 | 1 |
| NE | $12.12 | 1 |
| NH | $12.84 | 1 |
| NJ | $13.46–$13.95 | 2 |
| NM | $12.37 | 1 |
| NV | $12.64 | 1 |
| NY | $12.36–$14.35 | 5 |
| OH | $12.29 | 1 |
| OK | $12.12 | 1 |
| OR | $12.57–$13.25 | 2 |
| PA | $12.29–$13.09 | 2 |
| PR | $12.74 | 1 |
| RI | $12.96 | 1 |
| SC | $12.29 | 1 |
| SD | $12.47 | 1 |
| TN | $12.11 | 1 |
| TX | $12.25–$12.94 | 8 |
| UT | $12.38 | 1 |
| VA | $12.51–$13.98 | 2 |
| VI | $12.74 | 1 |
| VT | $12.48 | 1 |
| WA | $12.96–$14.08 | 2 |
| WI | $12.26 | 1 |
| WV | $12.22 | 1 |
| WY | $12.61 | 1 |
How the G0473 rate is calculated
Each of G0473’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 · G0473
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.23Practice expense 0.14Malpractice 0.01
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for G0473
G0473 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 · G0473
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
Non-facility (office) rate · national
$12.69
The facility rate would be $10.02 (+$2.67). In a facility, the facility bills its own costs separately.
G0473 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
G0473 vs G0447 vs 99401 vs G0446: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- G0447Obesity counseling
- G0447 is for individual obesity counseling. G0473 is for a 30-minute group session with 2-10 participants.
- 99401Prev med cnsl indiv apprx 15
- 99401 represents individual preventive counseling and is not specific to group obesity counseling. G0473 identifies the group format and obesity focus.
- G0446Cardiovascular counseling
- G0446 addresses cardiovascular risk reduction counseling, while G0473 concerns group behavioral counseling for obesity.
G0473 billing questions
When should G0473 be used instead of G0447?
Use G0473 for a 30-minute group session with 2-10 participants. G0447 is the individual obesity counseling code.
What should the note include?
Document the beneficiary’s attendance, group size, counseling duration, and weight-management topics or behavioral interventions addressed.
Is G0473 billed once for the whole group?
No. Report the service for each beneficiary who attended; the group’s total number of attendees does not determine units for an individual claim.
Can a practice bill G0473 for a session shorter than 30 minutes?
G0473 represents a 30-minute group service. The record should support that duration and the beneficiary’s participation.
Does Medicare eligibility affect use of this code?
Yes. Medicare obesity counseling coverage includes beneficiary and setting requirements, including the applicable BMI threshold and an eligible primary care setting.
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
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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