Physician Fee Schedule Lookup with Natural Languge, Find RVU | Search CMS PFS by HCPCS/CPT

Use our free Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and RVU lookup tool to search the latest CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule data quickly using natural languge (like “liver biopsy”). The tool will match the closest and latest CPT/HCPCS codes to your search. Search by free text, HCPCS or CPT code, view results online, and copy for analysis and auditing.

Why use our free Physician Fee Schedule tool

• Fast PFS search: Look up one code or a list of codes in seconds.

• Natural language search: Type what you mean (example: “chest x-ray”) to get suggested billing codes.

• CMS-sourced data: Results are pulled from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) PFS datasets and reflect CMS updates as they are published.

What data is included
This tool queries CMS-hosted PFS datasets and displays the fields returned by the dataset for your selected codes. Depending on the dataset and year, fields can include indicators, status information, or other PFS-related attributes. The exact columns shown may vary over time as CMS updates datasets.

Who this is for

• Clinicians and administrators who need a quick HCPCS/CPT lookup

• Billing and coding teams doing spot checks, education, or operational review

• Analysts exporting PFS results to Excel or data pipelines

• Researchers comparing PFS indicators over time

Disclaimer
This page is provided for informational and operational support purposes and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by CMS. Nothing on this page is legal, coding, or reimbursement advice. Always confirm official CMS guidance, payer policy, and local billing rules.

FAQ

Is this the official CMS Physician Fee Schedule search tool?
No. This tool queries CMS-published PFS datasets and presents results in a simplified interface. For official CMS tools and documentation, consult CMS resources directly.

Can I search multiple codes at once?
Yes. Enter multiple HCPCS or CPT codes separated by commas or spaces.

Can I export results?
Yes. Use the “Download CSV” button after running a search to export the filtered results.

Why do I see different columns than expected?
Columns come from the CMS dataset currently in use. CMS may update datasets over time, and different datasets expose different fields. Site administrators can also configure which columns are displayed.

How accurate is natural language search?
It is a convenience feature designed to suggest likely codes, not a substitute for professional coding judgment. Always validate results before billing or operational use.

Quick Explainer

CPT/RVU Lookup Glossary (CMS National Physician Fee Schedule Relative Value File)

General concepts

• RVU (Relative Value Unit): A standardized unit CMS uses to quantify the “value” of a service. MPFS payments are derived from RVUs (after geographic adjustments and a conversion factor).
• Non-facility vs facility:
  • Non-facility: Typically office, clinic, or other settings where the practitioner bears most practice expense costs.
  • Facility: Typically hospital outpatient, inpatient, ASC, or similar settings where the facility bears more of the overhead, so the practice expense RVU is usually lower.
• Components of total RVU:
  • Work RVU: clinician work (time, intensity, complexity)
  • Practice Expense RVU (PE RVU): overhead (staff, supplies, equipment)
  • Malpractice RVU (MP RVU): professional liability expense
  • Total RVU: Work + PE + MP (calculated separately for non-facility and facility using the appropriate PE RVU)

Column-by-column glossary 

1. HCPCS
   CPT or Level II HCPCS code for the service.
2. MOD
   Modifier field used for component billing and other special situations.
   Common examples for diagnostic tests:

• blank: global service (both professional and technical)
• 26: professional component
• TC: technical component

3. DESCRIPTION
   Short descriptor for the code (note: CPT descriptors are copyrighted by the AMA).
4. STATUS CODE
   Indicates whether the code is in the fee schedule and whether it is separately payable (if covered). Only certain status codes are used for Medicare payment (commonly A, R, or T).
5. MEDICARE PAYMENT
   Reserved / not used in this release (typically blank in the file).
6. WORK RVU
   Relative Value Unit for physician work in the service (often called wRVU).
7. NON-FAC PE RVU
   Practice Expense RVU for the non-facility setting.
8. NON-FAC NA INDICATOR
   “NA” indicator for the non-facility PE RVU.

• If “NA” appears, the procedure is rarely or never performed in the non-facility setting, so the non-facility PE RVU is not applicable.

9. FACILITY PE RVU
   Practice Expense RVU for the facility setting.
10. FACILITY NA INDICATOR
    “NA” indicator for the facility PE RVU.

• If “NA” appears, the facility PE RVU is not applicable.

11. MP RVU
    Malpractice RVU component.
12. NON-FACILITY TOTAL
    Total RVU for the non-facility setting (Work RVU + Non-fac PE RVU + MP RVU).
13. FACILITY TOTAL
    Total RVU for the facility setting (Work RVU + Facility PE RVU + MP RVU).
14. PC/TC IND (PC/TC indicator)
    Describes whether the “professional component” and “technical component” concept applies to the code and how it can be billed.
    Common meanings (indicator values):

• 0: Physician service codes. PC/TC concept does not apply. Modifiers 26 and TC cannot be used.
• 1: Diagnostic tests with both professional and technical components. Modifiers 26 and TC can be used.
• 2: Professional component only codes (stand-alone interpretation/report codes). Modifiers 26 and TC cannot be used.
• 3: Technical component only codes (stand-alone technical-only codes). Modifiers 26 and TC cannot be used.
• 4: Global test only codes (stand-alone global codes with separate associated PC-only and TC-only codes). Modifiers 26 and TC cannot be used.
• 5: “Incident to” codes (auxiliary personnel under direct personal supervision). Modifiers 26 and TC cannot be used.
• 6: Lab physician interpretation codes (test itself paid under lab fee schedule; separate payment may apply for physician interpretation). Modifier TC cannot be used.
• 7: Certain therapy services where payment may not be made in certain facility contexts (per CMS rules).
• 8: Specific physician interpretation scenario for certain clinical lab codes (example noted in CMS documentation: CPT 85060).
• 9: Not applicable (PC/TC concept does not apply).

15. GLOB DAYS (Global surgery)
    Global period indicator for surgical services.
    Common values:

• 000: Endoscopic/minor procedure, global applies only on day of procedure
• 010: Minor procedure with 10-day postoperative period
• 090: Major surgery with 1-day preop and 90-day postop period
• MMM, XXX, YYY, ZZZ: Special global concept categories (maternity, not applicable, carrier-priced, always included in another service’s global)

16. PRE OP
    Preoperative percentage of the global package.
17. INTRA OP
    Intraoperative percentage of the global package (including postoperative work in the hospital).
18. POST OP
    Postoperative percentage of the global package (generally office follow-up after discharge).
19. MULT PROC (Multiple procedure indicator)
    Indicates which multiple-procedure payment adjustment rules apply when services are performed on the same day.
    Common themes:

• 0: No special multiple-procedure adjustment
• 3: Special multiple endoscopy rules
• 4: Special multiple-procedure rules for diagnostic imaging technical component within the same imaging family
• 5: Certain therapy services subject to special reductions
• 6, 7: Certain diagnostic cardiovascular or ophthalmology services subject to special reductions
• 9: Not applicable

20. BILAT SURG (Bilateral surgery indicator)
    Indicates whether bilateral payment adjustments apply when billed bilaterally (modifier 50, RT/LT, etc.).
    Common meanings:

• 0: Bilateral adjustment does not apply (pay as single, per CMS rules)
• 1: Bilateral adjustment applies (commonly 150% when billed bilaterally)
• 2: Bilateral adjustment does not apply because RVUs already assume bilateral performance
• 3: Usual bilateral adjustment does not apply; pay each side/site separately under CMS rules (often used for certain diagnostic tests)
• 9: Not applicable

21. ASST SURG (Assistant at surgery indicator)
    Indicates whether (and under what restrictions) an assistant at surgery may be paid.
    Common meanings:

• 0: Assistant may be paid only with supporting documentation/medical necessity
• 1: Statutory restriction applies (assistant generally not payable)
• 2: Restriction does not apply (assistant may be paid)
• 9: Not applicable

22. CO-SURG (Co-surgeon indicator, modifier 62)
    Indicates whether co-surgeons may be paid.
    Common meanings:

• 0: Co-surgeons not permitted
• 1: Co-surgeons could be paid with documentation of medical necessity
• 2: Co-surgeons permitted (no documentation required if specialty requirements are met)
• 9: Not applicable

23. TEAM SURG (Team surgery indicator, modifier 66)
    Indicates whether team surgeons may be paid.
    Common meanings:

• 0: Team surgeons not permitted
• 1: Team surgeons could be paid with documentation (pay by report)
• 2: Team surgeons permitted (pay by report)
• 9: Not applicable

24. PRIC IND (Pricing indicator / QPP-related flag)
    A CMS internal indicator field. In the RVU26A nonQP file it is typically “9” (concept does not apply) for all rows.
25. ENDO BASE (Endoscopic base code)
    Identifies the “base” endoscopic code used to group procedures for multiple endoscopy payment rules.
26. CONV FACTOR (Conversion factor)
    The multiplier used to convert RVUs into payment amounts (after geographic adjustments). In national RVU files, it is repeated on each row.
27. PHYSICIAN SUPERVISION OF DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES
    A post-payment review field describing supervision level required for certain diagnostic procedures.
    Common values:

• 01: General supervision
• 02: Direct supervision
• 03: Personal supervision
• 04, 05, 06, 21, 22, 66, 6A, 77, 7A: Special supervision policies for specific clinician types/scenarios (per CMS definitions)
• 09: Not applicable

28. CALCULATION FLAG
    CMS internal flag. As of July 1, 2014, CMS sets this value to “0” for all HCPCS in the file.
29. DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING FAMILY INDICATOR
    Groups diagnostic imaging codes into families and flags certain imaging reduction policies.
    Common values include:

• 01 to 11: Imaging family categories (for example ultrasound, CT/CTA by region, MRI/MRA by region, etc.)
• 88: Subject to diagnostic imaging component reductions (per CMS policy)
• 99: Not applicable

30. NON-FAC PE USED FOR OPPS PAYMENT AMOUNT
    A value used in calculating an OPPS payment amount for the OPPS imaging cap comparison (Deficit Reduction Act of 2005). It is compared to MPFS to determine applicability of the cap.
31. FACILITY PE USED FOR OPPS PAYMENT AMOUNT
    Same concept as above, using facility PE values for OPPS imaging cap comparison.
32. MP USED FOR OPPS PAYMENT AMOUNT
    Same concept as above, using malpractice values for OPPS imaging cap comparison.