$32.84–$35.73
Both describe remote E/M for a new patient. Choose between them based on the documented time level: 10 minutes for G9481 or 20 minutes for G9482.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
G9481 Remote E/M Medicare reimbursement rates in California
Remote evaluation and management for a new patient at the 10-minute level, reported when a clinician addresses the patient's concern through a remote encounter. Compare G9481 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in California.
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 G9481 in California?
California has 29 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 29 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$17.38–$18.87
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $1.49 per service.
Facility setting
$17.38–$18.87
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $1.49 per service.
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.
Where G9481 pays more and less in California
29 payment localities
$17.38 to $18.87
Evaluation and management
About G9481: New-patient remote E/M, 10 minutes
Remote evaluation and management for a new patient at the 10-minute level, reported when a clinician addresses the patient's concern through a remote encounter.
G9481 identifies a remote evaluation and management service for a new patient at the 10-minute level. A physician or other qualified clinician may use the encounter to assess a new symptom, discuss a diagnostic concern, or establish a care plan without an in-person visit. The code distinguishes this service by both patient status and the time level; it is not the established-patient version of remote E/M.
Report the code when documentation supports new-patient status, the remote nature of the encounter, the clinical assessment and plan, and the time level. The supplied CMS PFS record assigns 0.48 work RVUs, 0.06 malpractice RVUs, and zero practice-expense RVUs in both office and facility settings. CMS data show zero reported office and facility services for this code in 2024; that utilization fact is not a coding criterion.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.48 · 89%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.00 · 0%
- Malpractice RVU0.06 · 11%
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.
G9481 compared with similar codes
Office rates for California, from the same CMS release.
$51.10–$55.51
G9483 is the 30-minute new-patient remote E/M level; G9481 is the 10-minute level.
$17.38–$18.87
G9486 describes the 10-minute remote E/M level for an established patient. G9481 is the new-patient counterpart.
Compare G9481 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.
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | Office $17.56 | Facility $17.56 |
| Chico | Office $17.38 | Facility $17.38 |
| El Centro | Office $17.39 | Facility $17.39 |
| Fresno | Office $17.38 | Facility $17.38 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | Office $17.38 | Facility $17.38 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty) | Office $18.02 | Facility $18.02 |
| Madera | Office $17.38 | Facility $17.38 |
| Merced | Office $17.38 | Facility $17.38 |
| Modesto | Office $17.38 | Facility $17.38 |
| Napa | Office $18.06 | Facility $18.06 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | Office $17.73 | Facility $17.73 |
| Redding | Office $17.38 | Facility $17.38 |
| Rest Of California | Office $17.38 | Facility $17.38 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | Office $18.03 | Facility $18.03 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Office $17.68 | Facility $17.68 |
| Salinas | Office $17.60 | Facility $17.60 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | Office $17.60 | Facility $17.60 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty) | Office $18.48 | Facility $18.48 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty) | Office $18.41 | Facility $18.41 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty) | Office $18.87 | Facility $18.87 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty) | Office $18.59 | Facility $18.59 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Office $17.38 | Facility $17.38 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | Office $17.44 | Facility $17.44 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Office $17.56 | Facility $17.56 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | Office $17.59 | Facility $17.59 |
| Stockton | Office $17.38 | Facility $17.38 |
| Vallejo | Office $17.96 | Facility $17.96 |
| Visalia | Office $17.38 | Facility $17.38 |
| Yuba City | Office $17.38 | Facility $17.38 |
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G9481 billing questions
Is G9481 for a new or established patient?
It is the new-patient remote E/M level. The corresponding established-patient series begins with G9486.
How does G9481 differ from G9482?
Both are remote E/M services for new patients; G9481 is the 10-minute level, while G9482 is the 20-minute level.
What documentation supports reporting G9481?
Document the patient's new-patient status, the remote encounter, the concern evaluated, the clinician's assessment and plan, and the time supporting the 10-minute level.
Does the descriptor require a particular remote technology?
The supplied descriptor identifies a remote E/M service but does not specify a platform. Document how the encounter was conducted.
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.
15,988G9478,,Othe therapist at hospice,X,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
15,989G9479,,Pharmacist at hospice,X,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
15,990G9480,,Admission to mccm,X,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
15,991G9481,,Remote e/m new pt 10mins,A,,0.48,0.00,,0.00,,0.06,0.54,0.54,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
15,992G9482,,Remote e/m new pt 20mins,A,,0.93,0.00,,0.00,,0.07,1.00,1.00,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
15,993G9483,,Remote e/m new pt 30mins,A,,1.42,0.00,,0.00,,0.16,1.58,1.58,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
15,994G9484,,Remote e/m new pt 45mins,A,,2.43,0.00,,0.00,,0.24,2.67,2.67,0,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00