$26.90
92555 reports speech-threshold testing alone. Choose 92556 when speech-recognition testing is also performed.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
92556 Speech audiometry Medicare reimbursement rates in Tennessee
Reports speech audiometry that measures a patient's speech threshold and speech recognition as part of a diagnostic hearing assessment. Compare 92556 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Tennessee.
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 92556 in Tennessee?
Tennessee 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
$42.08
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Tennessee
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.
Audiology
About 92556: Speech threshold and recognition audiometry
Reports speech audiometry that measures a patient's speech threshold and speech recognition as part of a diagnostic hearing assessment.
An audiologist typically presents speech stimuli to assess the level at which a patient can detect or repeat speech and how well the patient recognizes it. The testing helps characterize hearing difficulty and is commonly performed in an outpatient audiology clinic or an ear, nose, and throat practice. Unlike a speech-threshold-only test, this service includes speech recognition testing as well as threshold assessment.
Report 92556 for the speech portion when both threshold and recognition testing are performed; document the results and the testing performed. It represents the technical testing service, while interpretation is covered by a separate code. The CMS payment basis treats the service as bilateral, so modifier 50 does not increase payment. When a comprehensive hearing assessment is performed, distinguish this speech testing from the broader combination of pure-tone and speech testing represented by 92557.
CMS billing rules for 92556
- Professional and technical components
- Technical-component-only code: a separate code covers interpretation.
- Bilateral procedures
- The code is already priced as bilateral; modifier 50 does not increase payment.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.00 · 0%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.38 · 99%
- Malpractice RVU0.01 · 1%
54.9K
Medicare services in 2024 · #750 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.
92556 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Tennessee, from the same CMS release.
$34.19
92557 is the comprehensive audiometry service combining pure-tone and speech testing. 92556 represents the speech portion rather than that complete test combination.
$44.51
92553 measures pure-tone hearing by air and bone conduction; 92556 assesses speech threshold and speech recognition.
Compare 92556 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
Tennessee →
Office / nonfacility
$42.08
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 92556 in Tennessee.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
11,833
- Code
- 92556
- Physician work
- 0.00
- Practice expense
- 1.38
- Malpractice
- 0.01
GPCI2026.csv
95
- Locality
- Tennessee
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.909
- Malpractice
- 0.537
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.00 | × 1.000 | 0.0000 |
| Practice expense | 1.38 | × 0.909 | 1.2544 |
| Malpractice | 0.01 | × 0.537 | 0.0054 |
| Total RVUs | 1.2598 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Tennessee$42.08
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 1.38 | 0.909 |
| Malpractice | 0.01 | 0.537 |
(0 × 1 + 1.38 × 0.909 + 0.01 × 0.537) × $33.4009 = $42.08
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.
92556 billing questions
How does 92556 differ from 92555?
92556 includes speech recognition testing along with speech-threshold assessment. Use 92555 when the service is limited to speech-threshold testing.
Is interpretation included in 92556?
No. CMS classifies 92556 as a technical-component-only code; a separate code covers interpretation.
Should modifier 50 be appended when both ears are tested?
The code is already priced as bilateral. Modifier 50 does not increase its payment.
When should 92557 be used instead?
92557 represents comprehensive audiometry combining pure-tone testing with speech audiometry. Use 92556 for the speech testing when the broader comprehensive service is not performed.
What should the record support?
Document that speech-threshold and speech-recognition testing were performed and record the findings for each test.
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.
11,83092552,,Pure tone audiometry air,A,,0.00,1.20,,1.20,NA,0.01,1.21,1.21,3,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,2,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,02,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,83192553,,Audiometry air & bone,A,,0.00,1.46,,1.46,NA,0.01,1.47,1.47,3,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,2,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,02,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,83292555,,Speech threshold audiometry,A,,0.00,0.88,,0.88,NA,0.01,0.89,0.89,3,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,2,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,02,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,83392556,,Speech audiometry complete,A,,0.00,1.38,,1.38,NA,0.01,1.39,1.39,3,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,2,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,02,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,83492557,,Comprehensive hearing test,A,,0.60,0.46,,0.16,,0.01,1.07,0.77,7,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,2,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,02,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,83592558,,Evoked auditory test qual,X,+,0.17,0.11,,0.04,,0.01,0.29,0.22,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
11,83692562,,Loudness balance test,A,,0.00,1.46,,1.46,NA,0.01,1.47,1.47,3,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,2,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,02,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9214412,RI,01,RHODE ISLAND,1.019,1.033,0.892
9311202,SC,01,SOUTH CAROLINA,1.000,0.924,0.850
9403402,SD,02,SOUTH DAKOTA**,1.000,1.000,0.336
9510312,TN,35,TENNESSEE,1.000,0.909,0.537
9604412,TX,31,AUSTIN,1.002,1.058,0.886
9704412,TX,20,BEAUMONT,1.000,0.910,0.929
9804412,TX,09,BRAZORIA,1.008,0.991,0.780