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Question: I鈥檓 trying to figure out reimbursement for my provider, who鈥檚 a specialist. What exactly are relative value units (RVUs), and do they differ based on the type of provider?

South Carolina Subscriber

Answer: According to the : 鈥淩VUs are used to support the calculation of physician reimbursements. They are an objective way to identify the cost components linked to procedures described in the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT^庐) code set. The calculations enable health care professionals to combine the time, intensity and cost of care into a single relative ranking scale called the Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS).鈥�

They鈥檙e calculated based on a combination of aspects of the physician鈥檚 work and the practice鈥檚 expenses, and even liability protection, when desired, the AMA says. The calculations are further categorized based on the geographic location.

鈥淚n addition to RVUs use as a reimbursement mechanism for specific procedures, RVUs also can facilitate the measurement of physician or group productivity, utilization allocation, cost benchmarking and other performance analytics within a health system, provider or payer,鈥� AMA says.

However, the RVU is the same for a procedure regardless of the provider鈥檚 specialty but may be different for procedures involving multiple providers of multiple specialties.

Rachel Dorrell, MA, MS, CPC-A, CPPM, Development Editor, AAPC