$40.38
Both cover test administration and scoring, but 96138 is for technician-performed work and 96136 is for work performed by a physician or other qualified health professional.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
96138 Psychological testing Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Reports the first 30 minutes of technician administration and scoring for a battery of at least two psychological or neuropsychological tests. Compare 96138 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alabama.
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.
What does Medicare pay for 96138 in Alabama?
Alabama has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$32.92
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
No supported rate
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Psychological testing
About 96138: Technician-administered psychological testing, initial time
Reports the first 30 minutes of technician administration and scoring for a battery of at least two psychological or neuropsychological tests.
A psychometrist or other trained testing technician administers and scores standardized instruments that assess psychological or neuropsychological functions, such as memory, attention, or emotional and behavioral functioning. Typical referrals include cognitive concerns after neurologic illness, suspected learning or attention problems, and diagnostic clarification of mood or behavior symptoms. The technician performs the testing under the direction of a physician or other qualified health professional in an office or facility.
Report 96138 for the initial 30 minutes of technician time spent administering and scoring at least two tests. Use 96139 for additional technician time in 30-minute increments. Documentation should identify the tests, technician, time, results, and supervising professional, and support the clinical reason for testing. When a qualified health professional performs the test administration and scoring, consider 96136 instead. CMS assigns no physician-work RVU to 96138; its relative values include practice expense and malpractice components.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.00 · 0%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.12 · 99%
- Malpractice RVU0.01 · 1%
205.2K
Medicare services in 2024 · #383 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.
96138 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
$30.98
96138 reports the initial 30 minutes of technician testing; 96139 reports additional technician time in 30-minute increments.
$118.19
96138 covers technician administration and scoring. 96130 covers the qualified health professional's psychological test evaluation and report.
$1.94
96146 describes a single automated test with an automated result; 96138 is for technician administration and scoring of at least two tests.
Compare 96138 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Alabama →
Office / nonfacility
$32.92
Facility
Unavailable
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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 96138 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
12,761
- Code
- 96138
- Physician work
- 0.00
- Practice expense
- 1.12
- Malpractice
- 0.01
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.00 | × 1.000 | 0.0000 |
| Practice expense | 1.12 | × 0.875 | 0.9800 |
| Malpractice | 0.01 | × 0.566 | 0.0057 |
| Total RVUs | 0.9857 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Alabama$32.92
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 1.12 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 0.01 | 0.566 |
(0 × 1 + 1.12 × 0.875 + 0.01 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $32.92
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.
96138 billing questions
When should 96138 be chosen instead of 96136?
Use 96138 when a technician administers and scores the tests; use 96136 when a physician or other qualified health professional performs that work. The service covers at least two tests.
How is additional technician testing time reported?
96138 represents the initial 30 minutes. Report 96139 for additional technician testing time in 30-minute increments.
Can the professional interpretation and report be billed separately?
Yes, when performed and documented, the qualified health professional's interpretation and report may be reported separately, such as with 96130 for psychological testing or 96132 for neuropsychological testing.
What documentation supports 96138?
Record the tests administered, the technician's time and scoring work, results, supervising professional, and clinical reason for the testing.
Is 96138 the right code for a fully automated test?
Not when the service is a single automated test with an automated result. Code 96146 describes that different testing method; 96138 represents technician administration and scoring of at least two tests.
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.
12,75896133,,Nrpsyc tst eval phys/qhp ea,A,,1.96,0.95,,0.13,,0.02,2.93,2.11,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,04,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,75996136,,Psycl/nrpsyc tst phy/qhp 1st,A,,0.55,0.74,,0.07,,0.02,1.31,0.64,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,04,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,76096137,,Psycl/nrpsyc tst phy/qhp ea,A,,0.46,0.65,,0.03,,0.00,1.11,0.49,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,04,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,76196138,,Psycl/nrpsyc tech 1st,A,,0.00,1.12,,1.12,NA,0.01,1.13,1.13,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,04,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,76296139,,Psycl/nrpsyc tst tech ea,A,,0.00,1.06,,1.06,NA,0.00,1.06,1.06,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,04,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,76396146,,Psycl/nrpsyc tst auto result,A,,0.00,0.06,,0.06,NA,0.01,0.07,0.07,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,04,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
12,76496156,,Hlth bhv assmt/reassessment,A,,2.40,0.80,,0.18,,0.02,3.22,2.60,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1ADDENDUM E. FINAL CY 2026 GEOGRAPHIC PRACTICE COST INDICES (GPCIs) BY STATE AND MEDICARE LOCALITY,,,,,,
2,,,,,,
3Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC),State,Locality Number,Locality Name,2026 PW GPCI (with 1.0 Floor)***,2026 PE GPCI,2026 MP GPCI
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515