$44.16
Choose 59020 when fetal heart rate response to uterine contractions is assessed; choose 59025 for a non-stress test without contraction stress.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
59020 Fetal stress test Medicare reimbursement rates in Arkansas
Reports antepartum fetal assessment that monitors the fetal heart rate response to uterine contractions, including contractions induced for the test. Compare 59020 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Arkansas.
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 59020 in Arkansas?
Arkansas 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
$63.38
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Arkansas
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.
Obstetric testing
About 59020: Fetal contraction stress test
Reports antepartum fetal assessment that monitors the fetal heart rate response to uterine contractions, including contractions induced for the test.
An obstetric clinician uses fetal heart rate and uterine activity monitoring to assess how the fetus responds to contractions. Contractions may occur spontaneously or be induced for testing. The service is generally performed in an obstetric setting when fetal status needs assessment before labor; it is distinct from monitoring a fetus during labor. The record should identify the reason for testing and include the monitoring findings and interpretation.
Report one service for the fetal contraction stress test, supported by documentation that contractions and the fetal heart rate response were evaluated. CMS treats this as a diagnostic test: modifier 26 reports the professional interpretation, modifier TC reports the technical service, and no modifier reports the global service. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this single fetal test. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeon and team-surgery payment are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 59020
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
- Professional and technical components
- Diagnostic test with a professional component (modifier 26, interpretation) and a technical component (modifier TC, equipment and staff); billing without a modifier is the global service.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.64 · 29%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.35 · 62%
- Malpractice RVU0.19 · 9%
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.
59020 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Arkansas, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
59050 concerns fetal monitoring during labor with a written report. Code 59020 describes contraction stress testing for antepartum fetal assessment.
No office rate
59051 reports interpretation of fetal monitoring during labor. Code 59020 reports the contraction stress test, not labor-monitor interpretation alone.
Compare 59020 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
Arkansas →
Office / nonfacility
$63.38
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 59020 in Arkansas.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,628
- Code
- 59020
- Physician work
- 0.64
- Practice expense
- 1.35
- Malpractice
- 0.19
GPCI2026.csv
7
- Locality
- Arkansas
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.859
- Malpractice
- 0.515
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.64 | × 1.000 | 0.6400 |
| Practice expense | 1.35 | × 0.859 | 1.1597 |
| Malpractice | 0.19 | × 0.515 | 0.0979 |
| Total RVUs | 1.8975 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Arkansas$63.38
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.64 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 1.35 | 0.859 |
| Malpractice | 0.19 | 0.515 |
(0.64 × 1 + 1.35 × 0.859 + 0.19 × 0.515) × $33.4009 = $63.38
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.
59020 billing questions
How does this differ from 59025?
Code 59020 is for assessing the fetal heart rate response to uterine contractions. Code 59025 is a non-stress test, which monitors fetal heart rate without contraction stress.
Can the professional and technical services be billed separately?
Yes. Use modifier 26 for the professional interpretation or TC for the technical service. Billing without either modifier represents the global service.
What documentation supports reporting 59020?
Document the indication, the contraction activity evaluated, the fetal heart rate response, and the interpretation. The record should support that a contraction stress test was performed rather than a non-stress test.
Should modifier 50 be appended?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this single fetal test.
What care is included in the global service?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. It does not create a multi-day global package.
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.
6,62559001,,Amniocentesis therapeutic,A,,2.93,0.92,NA,0.92,,0.93,4.78,4.78,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,62659012,,Fetal cord puncture prenatal,A,,3.35,0.95,NA,0.95,,1.08,5.38,5.38,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,62759015,,Chorion biopsy,A,,2.15,1.98,,0.69,,0.68,4.81,3.52,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,62859020,,Fetal contract stress test,A,,0.64,1.35,,1.35,NA,0.19,2.18,2.18,1,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,62959020,26,Fetal contract stress test,A,,0.64,0.28,,0.28,,0.18,1.10,1.10,1,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,63059020,TC,Fetal contract stress test,A,,0.00,1.07,,1.07,NA,0.01,1.08,1.08,1,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,02,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,63159025,,Fetal non-stress test,A,,0.52,0.85,,0.85,NA,0.14,1.51,1.51,1,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
801112,CA,54,BAKERSFIELD,1.019,1.096,0.609
901112,CA,55,CHICO,1.017,1.096,0.536
1001182,CA,71,EL CENTRO,1.017,1.096,0.541