What is RVU Calculator & Relative Value Units?

What is RVUs, wRVUs & RVU Calculator ?

RVU stands for Relative value unit. It is a cost or value assigned for each CPT and HCPCS code by CMS (Centre for Medicare and Medicaid) for providing a service. It has majorly three components, physician work, physician expenses and malpractice overhead. The values of cost of RVU is used for calculating the actual cost for a procedure in Facility and Non-facility setting. wRVU stand for work RVU, which remain constant for all the facilities across the different geographic location. Work RVU are mostly used for provider compensation modes.

The final compensation is derived multiplying the total wRVU with the dollar conversion factor.You can get the whole list of RVUs values for CPT and HCPCS codes for Facility and Non-facility in the CMS website using RVU Calculator. Just visit the below link to download all the details related to RVUs for the particular year.

What is RVU Calculator & Relative Value Units?

https://www.cms.gov/medicare/medicare-fee-for-service-payment/physicianfeesched/pfs-relative-value-files.html

You can go ahead and find the RVU values for a particular CPT code below or from AAPC website.

 

Read also: Coding tips for CPT code 93922 and 93923

               

RVU Calculator Formula

When all the values are collected, these need to be calculated by using formula’s to get the total pricing 

Below is the detail formula for RVU Calculator.

Non-Facility Pricing Amount =[(Work RVU * Work GPCI) + (Non-Facility PE RVU * PE GPCI) +(MP RVU * MP GPCI)] * Conversion Factor (CF)

Facility Pricing Amount = [(Work RVU * Work GPCI) + (Facility PE RVU * PE GPCI) + (MP RVU * MP GPCI)] * Conversion Factor

OPPS Non-Facility Payment Amount = [(Work RVU * Work GPCI) + (OPPS Non-Facility PE RVU * PE GPCI) + (OPPS MP RVU * MP GPCI)] * Conversion Factor

OPPS Facility Payment Amount = [Work RVU * Work GPCI) + (OPPS Facility PE RVU * PE GPCI) + (OPPS MP RVU * MP GPCI)] * Conversion Factor

Read also: Coding guide for Breast Tomosynthesis CPT codes

The  downloaded files containing RVU values from CMS website include

  • Relative Value Units for CPT and HCPCS codes in Facility and Non-facility settings.
  • GPCI components for each carrier/locality;
  • Anesthesia conversion factors;
  • Locality/county crosswalks;
  • Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS)-based payment caps data

You can visit to CMS website and download the latest 2022 RVU zip file. 

Read also: Coding tips for Urethral Catheterization Procedure codes

Benefit of caculating RVU

RVU values help in find the total of the services provided by the physician or the hospital.

RVU cost or value help in assigning modifier to CPT code. For example, when two codes have NCCI edit, as per guidelines the low-cost RVU procedure code need to be appended with 59 or X modifiers to bypass the edits.

6 Thoughts to “What is RVU Calculator & Relative Value Units?”

  1. Do you have a chat for Clinical Social Work and RVU dollar values for Cook County, Illinois? I am interested in codes 90791, 90837, and other 90type codes.

  2. This information is great and very useful for people who are working in medical billing and coding companies. thanks for sharing with us.

  3. […] codes separately under the physician fee schedule (PFS), if covered. Codes with this status include RVUs and payment amounts. The presence of an A indicator doesn’t mean that Medicare has made a […]

  4. […] Global    26  TC Work RVU/Base Units:                                 0.00 Non Facility […]

  5. […] Contractors will establish RVUs and payment amounts for these services, generally on an individual case basis following review of […]

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