Relative Value Survey Forthcoming for Updated AMA Outpatient Consultation Codes

For the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) 2023 edition, the CPT Editorial Panel has approved extensive changes to the office or outpatient consultation codes (99242–99245). You may be selected to participate in an American Medical Association (AMA) Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) survey to review both physician work and practice expense details for this set of codes.

As you may know, the components of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule are physician work, practice expense and professional liability insurance. When a new CPT code is approved by the AMA, the next step is to develop a relative value for the new code to obtain the estimated time and complexity required to perform these services.

The AMA RUC survey will help the ACR, in concert with the RUC, recommend accurate physician work relative value units and direct practice expense details for these services to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). ​

ACR members who perform these services are randomly selected to participate in the survey. If you are selected, it is very important to complete the survey to help ensure the relative values are accurately and fairly presented to the CMS. These values will determine the rate at which Medicare and other payers reimburse for these procedures.

If you have been selected and need assistance or would like to take part in the survey, contact Antanya Chung at achung@rheumatology.org.