HCPCS G9985: Remote E/MMedicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Remote E/M for an established patient at the 25-minute level, reported when a clinician evaluates and manages the patient through a remote service.
Medicare pays $115.24–$125.02 for G9985 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 G9985 covers
G9985 identifies remote evaluation and management for an established patient at the 25-minute level. It may fit a remote follow-up with a patient already known to the practice, such as assessing a new symptom or reassessing treatment. The descriptor does not identify a specific communication channel, so the record should make clear what remote service occurred. Physicians and other practitioners furnishing E/M care remotely may encounter this code.
Select G9985 rather than a neighboring established-patient level when the documented service supports the 25-minute designation. Record the patient’s concern, relevant evaluation, clinical decisions or plan, and the time associated with the remote service. CMS assigns work, practice-expense, and malpractice relative value units, with separate office and facility practice-expense inputs.
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 G9985 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
$115.24 to $125.02
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $125.02 | $70.95 |
| Beaumont | $115.24 | $68.73 |
| Brazoria | $120.35 | $69.71 |
| Dallas | $121.10 | $70.20 |
| Fort Worth | $120.49 | $70.10 |
| Galveston | $120.71 | $69.96 |
| Houston | $123.27 | $72.53 |
| Rest Of Texas | $117.72 | $69.22 |
How the G9985 rate is calculated
Each of G9985’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 · G9985
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.50
1.50 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense2.00
2.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.14
0.14 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
3.6400
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$121.58
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for G9985
G9985 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.
Place of service · G9985
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
$121.58
- Non-facility (office)
- $121.58
- Facility
- $70.48
Higher because the practice carries its own overhead.
G9985 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- G9984Remote E/M
- Both describe remote E/M for established patients; G9984 is the 15-minute level, while G9985 is the 25-minute level.
- G9986Remote E/M
- G9986 is the neighboring established-patient level with a 40-minute descriptor; G9985 identifies the 25-minute level.
- G9980Remote E/M
- G9980 describes remote E/M for a new patient at the 30-minute level. G9985 is for an established patient.
G9985 billing questions
How does G9985 differ from G9984 or G9986?
These are neighboring established-patient remote E/M levels. G9984 has a 15-minute descriptor, G9985 a 25-minute descriptor, and G9986 a 40-minute descriptor; select the level supported by the service documentation.
Is G9985 for a new patient?
No. Its descriptor identifies an established patient. The nearby G9978 through G9982 codes are the new-patient remote E/M series.
What should the record show?
Document the remote E/M service, the patient’s reason for contact, the clinician’s assessment and plan, and support for the 25-minute level.
Does G9985 describe a particular remote communication method?
The CMS short descriptor identifies remote E/M but does not specify a channel. The record should identify the remote service that was furnished.
Can G9985 represent an in-person office visit?
No. The code describes remote E/M for an established patient, not a face-to-face office encounter.
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
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