Billing code 92579: AudiometryMedicare rate & RVUs in Florida
Visual reinforcement audiometry assesses hearing in young children who respond to sounds by turning toward a visual reward during behavioral testing.
Medicare pays $42.37–$44.42 for 92579 in the office in Florida, from Rest Of Florida to Miami. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 9 sections
What 92579 covers
An audiologist typically uses visual reinforcement audiometry for infants and young children who cannot reliably complete conventional pure-tone testing. The child learns to turn toward a sound source; a visual stimulus, such as an illuminated toy, reinforces that response. The method helps estimate hearing sensitivity through observed responses rather than requiring the child to describe what was heard. Testing is commonly performed in pediatric audiology clinics and hospital audiology departments.
Report the service when this visual-reinforcement response method is used, rather than play-based or picture-response testing. Documentation should identify the behavioral method, sound presentation and observed responses, and the findings obtained, including ear-specific results when available. CMS treats the service as a therapy service for component billing, so a professional-component modifier does not apply. The code is priced as bilateral; modifier 50 does not increase payment.
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 92579 pays more and less in Florida
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
3 payment localities
$42.37 to $44.42
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | $43.62 | $30.08 |
| Miami | $44.42 | $30.51 |
| Rest Of Florida | $42.37 | $29.60 |
How the 92579 rate is calculated
Each of 92579’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 · 92579
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.68Practice expense 0.60Malpractice 0.01
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 92579
The CMS indicators that decide how 92579 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 92579
Audiometry
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 2 | Already bilateral by definition: paid once at 100%. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 7 | Therapy service: the split doesn’t apply. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier CQ · payment effect
With and without the modifier
92579 without CQ · national office
$43.09
Audiometry
92579-CQ · Allowed amount unchanged
$43.09
Medicare cuts its own payment by 15% after the patient’s 20% coinsurance; the allowed amount stays the same. On $100 allowed: $20 coinsurance, then Medicare pays $68 instead of $80.
92579 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
92579 vs 92582 vs 92583 vs 92587: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 92582Play audiometry
- 92579 uses a sound-evoked head turn reinforced by a visual reward. 92582 uses a conditioned play response, such as placing or manipulating an object.
- 92583Speech audiometry
- 92583 uses picture identification or selection as the response method; 92579 reinforces a head turn toward the sound source with a visual cue.
- 92587Otoacoustic emissions
- 92587 is an objective evoked auditory test. 92579 depends on the child’s observable behavioral response to presented sounds.
92579 billing questions
When should visual reinforcement audiometry be chosen over play audiometry?
Use 92579 when the child’s response is conditioned by turning toward a sound for a visual reward. Use 92582 when the child can perform a conditioned play task, such as placing an object after hearing a sound.
Can modifier 50 be added when both ears are tested?
CMS prices 92579 as bilateral, so modifier 50 does not increase payment.
Should modifier 26 be reported?
No. CMS identifies this as a therapy service for component billing, and the professional-component modifier does not apply.
What documentation supports reporting 92579?
Document the visual-reinforcement method, sound presentation, the child’s responses, and the hearing findings obtained. Include ear-specific results when available.
How does 92579 differ from an evoked auditory test?
92579 measures behavioral responses to sounds reinforced by a visual cue. An evoked auditory test, such as 92587, evaluates auditory responses using an objective test method.
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
Fee sheets
Put 92579 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →