Billing code 94781: Infant car seat testMedicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports each additional 30 minutes of infant car seat or car bed monitoring beyond the initial 60-minute test for an infant age 12 months or younger.
Medicare pays $20.58–$22.95 for 94781 in the office in Texas, from Beaumont to Austin. 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 94781 covers
This add-on represents additional monitoring time during a car seat or car bed tolerance test for an infant age 12 months or younger. The infant is observed while positioned in the travel device, with cardiorespiratory monitoring used to identify events such as apnea, bradycardia, or oxygen desaturation. Testing is commonly performed in a hospital or newborn-care setting before discharge, particularly for infants whose clinical history raises concern about tolerance of that position. A clinician or trained staff member conducts the monitoring under the responsible provider’s direction.
Report 94781 with the primary 60-minute test, 94780, when the test continues beyond its initial period; it is not reported by itself. The record should support the additional monitoring time and identify the infant’s response during testing. CMS classifies 94781 as an add-on code billed only with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure’s global period.
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 94781 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 payment localities
$20.58 to $22.95
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $22.95 | $7.05 |
| Beaumont | $20.58 | $6.90 |
| Brazoria | $21.87 | $6.98 |
| Dallas | $21.98 | $7.01 |
| Fort Worth | $21.83 | $7.01 |
| Galveston | $21.92 | $7.00 |
| Houston | $22.10 | $7.18 |
| Rest Of Texas | $21.19 | $6.93 |
How the 94781 rate is calculated
Each of 94781’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 · 94781
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.17
0.17 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.48
0.48 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.01
0.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.6600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$22.04
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 94781
The CMS indicators that decide how 94781 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 94781
Infant car seat test
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
94781 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 94780Infant transport test
- 94780 reports the initial 60 minutes of infant car seat or car bed testing; 94781 reports each additional 30 minutes.
- 94774Ped home apnea mntr evnt rec
- 94774 concerns recording events with a pediatric home apnea monitor. It is not additional time for an in-facility car seat or car bed test.
- 94775Ped home apnea mntr att only
- 94775 covers an attendance-only service for pediatric home apnea monitoring, rather than extended infant car seat or car bed testing.
94781 billing questions
When should 94781 be reported instead of 94780?
94780 represents the initial 60 minutes of infant car seat or car bed testing. Report 94781 for each additional 30 minutes of testing beyond that initial period.
Can 94781 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be billed with the primary test, 94780.
What documentation supports an additional unit?
Document the test’s duration beyond the initial 60 minutes and the infant’s monitored response while positioned in the car seat or car bed.
Is 94781 for a home apnea monitor study?
No. It reports additional time during an infant car seat or car bed test; home apnea monitoring is a different service.
How does CMS handle payment for 94781?
CMS treats it as an add-on billed only with a primary procedure and pays it within that procedure’s global period.
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 94781 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 →