FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu
On this page

CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01

99448 in Merced

Office / nonfacility

$57.78

Base rate per service

Facility setting

$47.89

Base rate per service

Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.

Interprofessional consultation

About 99448: Interprofessional consultation, 21–30 minutes

A consulting physician reviews a patient’s clinical information and gives the treating clinician verbal and written guidance after 21–30 minutes of work.

A consulting physician uses this service to assess a patient’s clinical question by reviewing records, test results, or other relevant information and discussing recommendations with the treating or requesting clinician. The consultation is between clinicians rather than a direct patient visit. Common situations include a primary care clinician seeking specialist input on a complex rash from a record review or asking a cardiologist to advise on findings in the patient’s chart.

Report 99448 when the consultant’s qualifying work totals 21–30 minutes and includes both verbal communication and a written report to the treating or requesting clinician. Documentation should identify the clinical question, information reviewed, time spent, recommendations, and how the verbal and written responses were provided. The CMS physician fee schedule assigns work and practice-expense values to this service. The documented time distinguishes this code from the shorter and longer consultation levels.

Where the value comes from

  • Work RVU1.05 · 62%
  • Practice expense (office) RVU0.56 · 33%
  • Malpractice RVU0.09 · 5%

9.2K

Medicare services in 2024 · #1521 by national volume

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.

99448 compared with similar codes

Office rates for Merced, from the same CMS release.

99447

Interprofessional consult

11–20 minutes

$38.58

Use 99447 for 11–20 minutes of qualifying consultant work; 99448 covers 21–30 minutes.

99449

Interprofessional consult

31 minutes or more

$77.53

Use 99449 when qualifying consultant work reaches 31 minutes or more; 99448 is for 21–30 minutes.

99451

E-consult

Written report, 5+ minutes

$36.02

99451 is the consultant-service option with a written report and a different time threshold. 99448 requires both verbal communication and a written report for 21–30 minutes.

99452

Referral coordination

Requesting clinician, 30 minutes

$37.85

99452 describes the requesting clinician’s work preparing for and coordinating the referral; 99448 describes the consulting physician’s assessment and recommendations.

The same code, a different location

How does Merced compare?

In Bakersfield, the office rate for 99448 is $58.07—$0.29 higher than the $57.78 rate in Merced. Both use the same code, release and participation basis.

99448 across payment areas

Same release and payment basis · bars start at $0

  1. Merced · This locality

    $57.78

  2. Bakersfield

    $58.07

    $0.29 higher than Merced

  3. Chico

    $57.78

    The same base rate than Merced

  4. El Centro

    $57.79

    $0.01 higher than Merced

  5. Fresno

    $57.78

    The same base rate than Merced

  6. Hanford-Corcoran

    $57.78

    The same base rate than Merced

  7. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty)

    $60.63

    $2.85 higher than Merced

Other payment areas listed in California appear first, followed by selected cross-country examples. The chart compares amounts, not distance.

Across 109 of 109 CMS payment localities with a supported office rate, 99448 ranges from $52.69 in Arkansas to $74.18 in Alaska*. This is a geographic range, not an average.

The code’s RVUs stay the same in these comparisons. Geographic adjustments to work, practice expense and malpractice change the dollar amount. A city name alone may not identify the payment area for a service address.

Compare all 108 other payment areas

  • Madera

    California · 99448

    Office

    $57.78

    Facility

    $47.89

    The same base rate than Merced for the office setting.

  • Modesto

    California · 99448

    Office

    $57.78

    Facility

    $47.89

    The same base rate than Merced for the office setting.

  • Napa

    California · 99448

    Office

    $63.46

    Facility

    $51.57

    $5.68 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura

    California · 99448

    Office

    $60.03

    Facility

    $49.37

    $2.25 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Redding

    California · 99448

    Office

    $57.78

    Facility

    $47.89

    The same base rate than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of California

    California · 99448

    Office

    $57.78

    Facility

    $47.89

    The same base rate than Merced for the office setting.

  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario

    California · 99448

    Office

    $58.77

    Facility

    $48.88

    $0.99 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom

    California · 99448

    Office

    $59.70

    Facility

    $49.21

    $1.92 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Salinas

    California · 99448

    Office

    $59.45

    Facility

    $49.00

    $1.67 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad

    California · 99448

    Office

    $60.12

    Facility

    $49.34

    $2.34 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty)

    California · 99448

    Office

    $66.16

    Facility

    $53.44

    $8.38 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty)

    California · 99448

    Office

    $66.05

    Facility

    $53.34

    $8.27 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)

    California · 99448

    Office

    $67.51

    Facility

    $54.51

    $9.73 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty)

    California · 99448

    Office

    $67.09

    Facility

    $54.09

    $9.31 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles

    California · 99448

    Office

    $58.58

    Facility

    $48.31

    $0.80 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Santa Cruz-Watsonville

    California · 99448

    Office

    $60.14

    Facility

    $49.19

    $2.36 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Santa Maria-Santa Barbara

    California · 99448

    Office

    $59.47

    Facility

    $48.96

    $1.69 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Santa Rosa-Petaluma

    California · 99448

    Office

    $60.70

    Facility

    $49.63

    $2.92 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Stockton

    California · 99448

    Office

    $57.78

    Facility

    $47.89

    The same base rate than Merced for the office setting.

  • Vallejo

    California · 99448

    Office

    $63.31

    Facility

    $51.43

    $5.53 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Visalia

    California · 99448

    Office

    $57.78

    Facility

    $47.89

    The same base rate than Merced for the office setting.

  • Yuba City

    California · 99448

    Office

    $57.78

    Facility

    $47.89

    The same base rate than Merced for the office setting.

  • Dc + Md/Va Suburbs

    District of Columbia · 99448

    Office

    $62.34

    Facility

    $51.72

    $4.56 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Miami

    Florida · 99448

    Office

    $62.14

    Facility

    $52.76

    $4.36 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Chicago

    Illinois · 99448

    Office

    $61.01

    Facility

    $51.95

    $3.23 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Manhattan

    New York · 99448

    Office

    $63.82

    Facility

    $53.34

    $6.04 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Alaska*

    Alaska · 99448

    Office

    $74.18

    Facility

    $64.58

    $16.40 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Alabama

    Alabama · 99448

    Office

    $53.14

    Facility

    $45.25

    $4.64 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Arkansas

    Arkansas · 99448

    Office

    $52.69

    Facility

    $44.94

    $5.09 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Arizona

    Arizona · 99448

    Office

    $55.77

    Facility

    $47.03

    $2.01 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Colorado

    Colorado · 99448

    Office

    $57.74

    Facility

    $48.15

    $0.04 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Connecticut

    Connecticut · 99448

    Office

    $59.55

    Facility

    $49.84

    $1.77 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Delaware

    Delaware · 99448

    Office

    $56.43

    Facility

    $47.52

    $1.35 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Fort Lauderdale

    Florida · 99448

    Office

    $59.45

    Facility

    $50.32

    $1.67 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Florida

    Florida · 99448

    Office

    $57.47

    Facility

    $48.85

    $0.31 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Atlanta

    Georgia · 99448

    Office

    $57.79

    Facility

    $48.63

    $0.01 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Georgia

    Georgia · 99448

    Office

    $55.34

    Facility

    $47.29

    $2.44 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Hawaii, Guam

    Hawaii · 99448

    Office

    $58.08

    Facility

    $47.82

    $0.30 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Iowa

    Iowa · 99448

    Office

    $53.38

    Facility

    $45.13

    $4.40 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Idaho

    Idaho · 99448

    Office

    $53.70

    Facility

    $45.40

    $4.08 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • East St. Louis

    Illinois · 99448

    Office

    $58.33

    Facility

    $50.04

    $0.55 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Illinois

    Illinois · 99448

    Office

    $56.85

    Facility

    $48.61

    $0.93 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Suburban Chicago

    Illinois · 99448

    Office

    $59.85

    Facility

    $50.59

    $2.07 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Indiana

    Indiana · 99448

    Office

    $53.87

    Facility

    $45.51

    $3.91 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Kansas

    Kansas · 99448

    Office

    $53.49

    Facility

    $45.34

    $4.29 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Kentucky

    Kentucky · 99448

    Office

    $54.45

    Facility

    $46.43

    $3.33 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • New Orleans

    Louisiana · 99448

    Office

    $56.09

    Facility

    $47.60

    $1.69 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Louisiana

    Louisiana · 99448

    Office

    $54.50

    Facility

    $46.52

    $3.28 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Metropolitan Boston

    Massachusetts · 99448

    Office

    $61.52

    Facility

    $50.75

    $3.74 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Massachusetts

    Massachusetts · 99448

    Office

    $57.72

    Facility

    $48.23

    $0.06 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Baltimore/Surr. Cntys

    Maryland · 99448

    Office

    $59.42

    Facility

    $49.74

    $1.64 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Maryland

    Maryland · 99448

    Office

    $57.11

    Facility

    $47.98

    $0.67 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Maine

    Maine · 99448

    Office

    $54.15

    Facility

    $45.85

    $3.63 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Southern Maine

    Maine · 99448

    Office

    $55.50

    Facility

    $46.57

    $2.28 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Detroit

    Michigan · 99448

    Office

    $58.19

    Facility

    $49.49

    $0.41 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Michigan

    Michigan · 99448

    Office

    $55.54

    Facility

    $47.31

    $2.24 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Minnesota

    Minnesota · 99448

    Office

    $55.21

    Facility

    $45.93

    $2.57 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Metropolitan Kansas City

    Missouri · 99448

    Office

    $55.57

    Facility

    $47.10

    $2.21 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Metropolitan St. Louis

    Missouri · 99448

    Office

    $55.89

    Facility

    $47.30

    $1.89 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Missouri

    Missouri · 99448

    Office

    $54.12

    Facility

    $46.35

    $3.66 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Mississippi

    Mississippi · 99448

    Office

    $53.40

    Facility

    $45.63

    $4.38 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Montana**

    Montana · 99448

    Office

    $56.78

    Facility

    $47.76

    $1.00 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • North Carolina

    North Carolina · 99448

    Office

    $54.44

    Facility

    $46.03

    $3.34 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • North Dakota**

    North Dakota · 99448

    Office

    $55.00

    Facility

    $45.98

    $2.78 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Nebraska

    Nebraska · 99448

    Office

    $53.47

    Facility

    $45.15

    $4.31 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • New Hampshire

    New Hampshire · 99448

    Office

    $57.17

    Facility

    $47.78

    $0.61 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Northern Nj

    New Jersey · 99448

    Office

    $62.19

    Facility

    $51.73

    $4.41 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of New Jersey

    New Jersey · 99448

    Office

    $60.20

    Facility

    $50.35

    $2.42 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • New Mexico

    New Mexico · 99448

    Office

    $55.83

    Facility

    $47.56

    $1.95 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Nevada**

    Nevada · 99448

    Office

    $56.30

    Facility

    $47.27

    $1.48 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Nyc Suburbs/Long Island

    New York · 99448

    Office

    $65.14

    Facility

    $54.41

    $7.36 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Poughkpsie/N Nyc Suburbs

    New York · 99448

    Office

    $60.77

    Facility

    $50.89

    $2.99 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Queens

    New York · 99448

    Office

    $63.76

    Facility

    $53.10

    $5.98 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of New York

    New York · 99448

    Office

    $54.95

    Facility

    $46.39

    $2.83 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Ohio

    Ohio · 99448

    Office

    $55.18

    Facility

    $46.94

    $2.60 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Oklahoma

    Oklahoma · 99448

    Office

    $54.11

    Facility

    $46.06

    $3.67 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Portland

    Oregon · 99448

    Office

    $58.65

    Facility

    $48.63

    $0.87 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Oregon

    Oregon · 99448

    Office

    $55.81

    Facility

    $46.83

    $1.97 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Metropolitan Philadelphia

    Pennsylvania · 99448

    Office

    $58.76

    Facility

    $49.37

    $0.98 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Pennsylvania

    Pennsylvania · 99448

    Office

    $55.08

    Facility

    $46.80

    $2.70 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Puerto Rico

    Puerto Rico · 99448

    Office

    $56.94

    Facility

    $47.82

    $0.84 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rhode Island

    Rhode Island · 99448

    Office

    $57.74

    Facility

    $48.42

    $0.04 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • South Carolina

    South Carolina · 99448

    Office

    $54.91

    Facility

    $46.58

    $2.87 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • South Dakota**

    South Dakota · 99448

    Office

    $54.79

    Facility

    $45.77

    $2.99 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Tennessee

    Tennessee · 99448

    Office

    $53.69

    Facility

    $45.49

    $4.09 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Austin

    Texas · 99448

    Office

    $57.59

    Facility

    $48.05

    $0.19 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Beaumont

    Texas · 99448

    Office

    $54.88

    Facility

    $46.68

    $2.90 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Brazoria

    Texas · 99448

    Office

    $56.23

    Facility

    $47.30

    $1.55 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Dallas

    Texas · 99448

    Office

    $56.60

    Facility

    $47.61

    $1.18 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Fort Worth

    Texas · 99448

    Office

    $56.45

    Facility

    $47.56

    $1.33 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Galveston

    Texas · 99448

    Office

    $56.41

    Facility

    $47.46

    $1.37 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Houston

    Texas · 99448

    Office

    $58.06

    Facility

    $49.11

    $0.28 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Texas

    Texas · 99448

    Office

    $55.54

    Facility

    $46.98

    $2.24 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Utah

    Utah · 99448

    Office

    $55.35

    Facility

    $46.88

    $2.43 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Virginia

    Virginia · 99448

    Office

    $55.58

    Facility

    $46.71

    $2.20 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Virgin Islands

    United States Virgin Islands · 99448

    Office

    $56.94

    Facility

    $47.82

    $0.84 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Vermont

    Vermont · 99448

    Office

    $55.11

    Facility

    $46.18

    $2.67 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Washington

    Washington · 99448

    Office

    $57.51

    Facility

    $48.01

    $0.27 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Seattle (King Cnty)

    Washington · 99448

    Office

    $62.23

    Facility

    $51.17

    $4.45 higher than Merced for the office setting.

  • Wisconsin

    Wisconsin · 99448

    Office

    $53.92

    Facility

    $45.28

    $3.86 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • West Virginia

    West Virginia · 99448

    Office

    $55.63

    Facility

    $47.79

    $2.15 lower than Merced for the office setting.

  • Wyoming**

    Wyoming · 99448

    Office

    $56.00

    Facility

    $46.98

    $1.78 lower than Merced for the office setting.

See how rates vary across the country

99448 · Office / nonfacility · Non-QP. Choose a state to explore its payment localities. A range means the amount varies within that state.

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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.

$52.69

$74.18

Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.

View all state and territory rates as a table
State / territoryRate rangeLocalities
AK$74.181
AL$53.141
AR$52.691
AZ$55.771
CA$57.78–$67.5129
CO$57.741
CT$59.551
DC$62.341
DE$56.431
FL$57.47–$62.143
GA$55.34–$57.792
GU$58.081
HI$58.081
IA$53.381
ID$53.701
IL$56.85–$61.014
IN$53.871
KS$53.491
KY$54.451
LA$54.50–$56.092
MA$57.72–$61.522
MD$57.11–$62.343
ME$54.15–$55.502
MI$55.54–$58.192
MN$55.211
MO$54.12–$55.893
MS$53.401
MT$56.781
NC$54.441
ND$55.001
NE$53.471
NH$57.171
NJ$60.20–$62.192
NM$55.831
NV$56.301
NY$54.95–$65.145
OH$55.181
OK$54.111
OR$55.81–$58.652
PA$55.08–$58.762
PR$56.941
RI$57.741
SC$54.911
SD$54.791
TN$53.691
TX$54.88–$58.068
UT$55.351
VA$55.58–$62.342
VI$56.941
VT$55.111
WA$57.51–$62.232
WI$53.921
WV$55.631
WY$56.001

Explore 99448 on the national rate map →

Where does this rate apply?

Merced is a Medicare payment area. Our Census mapping connects it to 24 cities and communities in California, including the examples shown here.

Some communities span more than one payment area. Follow a city link to compare all of its mapped areas, or check the service-location ZIP above for an address-level starting point.

Browse all communities in California →

Why are the office and facility amounts different?

For 99448 in Merced, the physician’s office rate is $57.78 and the facility-setting rate is $47.89: a difference of $9.89.

The calculation uses a different practice-expense RVU for each setting. Both amounts here are physician fee-schedule amounts. The facility figure does not include a hospital’s separate charges, so this comparison does not tell you the total cost of receiving care in each setting.

See the inputs behind this difference →

Use this rate

What is a percentage of Medicare worth?

Turn a percentage into dollars for 99448 in Merced. This uses the base rate on this page, so the locality and release stay consistent.

Reference amount per service

$63.56

$57.78 × 110% = $63.56

A contract may specify another Medicare year or additional adjustments. This is percentage arithmetic on the displayed base rate, not a claim adjudication.

Working with a whole code list?

Compare an offer across your annual code mix, including an older Medicare schedule or flat per-code rates.

Compare your contract offer →

How this local rate is calculated

Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 99448 in Merced.

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

13,115

Code
99448
Physician work
1.05
Practice expense
0.56
Malpractice
0.09

GPCI2026.csv

15

Locality
Merced
Physician work
1.017
Practice expense
1.096
Malpractice
0.536
Office / nonfacility calculation for 99448 in Merced
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work1.05× 1.0171.0678
Practice expense0.56× 1.0960.6138
Malpractice0.09× 0.5360.0482
Total RVUs1.7299
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Office / nonfacility rate, Merced$57.78

Open 99448 in the RVU calculator →

Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula

Office / nonfacility

Office / nonfacility calculation inputs
ComponentRVULocal GPCI
Work1.051.017
Practice expense0.561.096
Malpractice0.090.536

(1.05 × 1.017 + 0.56 × 1.096 + 0.09 × 0.536) × $33.4009 = $57.78

Facility

Facility calculation inputs
ComponentRVULocal GPCI
Work1.051.017
Practice expense0.291.096
Malpractice0.090.536

(1.05 × 1.017 + 0.29 × 1.096 + 0.09 × 0.536) × $33.4009 = $47.89

The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.

How this rate has changed

99448 · Office / nonfacility

$57.78

Effective 2026-10-01

The base rate is $5.63 higher than on 2025-10-01, moving from $52.15 to $57.78 (10.8%).

It is unchanged from the immediately preceding available release, effective 2026-07-01.

Base rate by release · bars start at $0 · select a bar to compare

One bar per available release, ordered by effective date. Missing rates remain gaps. These comparisons hold the code, setting and locality identifiers constant; they do not isolate which policy or input caused a change.

What changed, release by release

  1. January 1, 2026

    RVU26A

    $52.15changed to$57.78

    • Conversion factor 32.3465 changed to 33.4009
    • Practice expense RVU 0.46 changed to 0.56
    • Malpractice RVU 0.08 changed to 0.09
    • Work GPCI 1.014 changed to 1.017
    • Practice expense GPCI 1.093 changed to 1.096
    • Malpractice GPCI 0.560 changed to 0.536

    Held through RVU26B, RVU26C, RVU26D.

  2. January 1, 2025

    RVU25A

    Earliest loaded release: $52.15

    Held through RVU25B, RVU25C, RVU25D.

Explore release dates and calculate this code in an earlier period →

Each row uses the accepted CMS release effective on that date and the same contractor and locality identifiers. Missing rates stay visible. Historical boundaries may differ; verify the service address for an older claim.

Inspect every release and its CMS source
Effective fromOffice / nonfacilityFacilityCMS release
2026-10-01$57.78$47.89RVU26D
2026-07-01$57.78$47.89RVU26C
2026-04-01$57.78$47.89RVU26B
2026-01-01$57.78$47.89RVU26A
2025-10-01$52.15$52.15RVU25D
2025-07-01$52.15$52.15RVU25C
2025-04-01$52.15$52.15RVU25B
2025-01-01$52.15$52.15RVU25A

99448 billing questions

When should 99448 be selected instead of 99447 or 99449?

Select 99448 when the consultant’s qualifying work totals 21–30 minutes. The neighboring levels cover shorter or longer time intervals.

Does the service include communication with the treating clinician?

Yes. This level includes verbal communication and a written report to the treating or requesting clinician; document both.

Can 99448 be used for a direct visit with the patient?

It describes an interprofessional consultation in which a consulting physician provides guidance to the treating or requesting clinician, rather than a direct patient visit.

What should the record support?

Document the clinical question, records or results reviewed, total time, recommendations, and the verbal and written communication with the requesting clinician.

How does 99448 differ from 99451?

99448 is the 21–30-minute level that includes verbal and written communication. 99451 is a separate consultant-service option with a written report and a different time threshold.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.

Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.

RVUs for 99448PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 13,115 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for MercedGPCI2026.csv, line 15 (RVU26D)
Open CMS sourceHow this rate is calculatedBuild a fee sheet