Establish an RVS-based Fee Schedule to Ensure Appropriate, Competitive

Why This Topic Matters

Fee schedule design affects competitiveness, internal consistency, and how a practice structures reimbursement across service categories. Understanding the general approach helps emergency medicine organizations assess whether their current pricing framework is aligned with commonly used valuation references and operational needs.

Article Sections

1. Finding out whether the current schedule is in the ballpark

   Introduces the first review step for evaluating an existing fee schedule against published comparison resources. The section discusses broad benchmarking considerations for emergency medicine professional fees.

2. Deciding on an established RVS system and using its RVUs

   Covers selection of a relative value system and the role of RVUs in linking fees to service resources. The section also mentions general sources used to support fee schedule development.

3. Deciding on a conversion factor to set the final fee for each code

   Explains the purpose of a conversion factor and describes how practices may establish one for fee calculation. The section also discusses broader considerations for applying conversion factors across a fee schedule.

4. Calculate a conversion factor for each grouping

   Describes a method for organizing codes into groups and using sampled services to derive a grouping-level factor. The section focuses on the general calculation approach rather than specific results.

5. Use the conversion factors to establish fees for each code based on RVUs

   Shows how the grouped factor concept is applied to determine final fees from assigned RVUs. The section contains an illustrative calculation framework.