30.707—How are payments for particular services calculated?
Payment for a procedure identified by a HCPCS/CPT code shall not exceed the amount derived by multiplying the relative values for that procedure by the geographic indices for services in that area and by the dollar amount assigned to one unit in that category of service.
(a)
The “locality” which serves as a basis for the determination of average cost is defined by the Bureau of Census Metropolitan Statistical Areas. OWCP shall base the determination of the relative per capita cost of medical care in a locality using information about enrollment and medical cost per county, provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
(b)
OWCP shall assign the relative value units (RVUs) published by CMS to all services for which CMS has made assignments, using the most recent revision. Where there are no RVUs assigned to a procedure, OWCP may develop and assign any RVUs considered appropriate. The geographic adjustment factor shall be that designated by Geographic Practice Cost Indices for Metropolitan Statistical Areas as devised for CMS and as updated or revised by CMS from time to time. OWCP will devise conversion factors for each category of service, and in doing so may adapt CMS conversion factors as appropriate using OWCP's processing experience and internal data.
(c)
For example, if the unit values for a particular surgical procedure are 2.48 for physician's work (W), 3.63 for practice expense (PE), and 0.48 for malpractice insurance (M), and the dollar value assigned to one unit in that category of service (surgery) is $61.20, then the maximum allowable charge for one performance of that procedure is the product of the three RVUs times the corresponding geographical indices for the locality times the conversion factor. If the geographic indices for the locality are 0.988(W), 0.948 (PE), and 1.174 (M), then the maximum payment calculation is:
[(2.48)(0.988) (3.63)(0.948) (0.48)(1.174)] × $61.20
[2.45 3.44 .56] × $61.20
6.45 × $61.20 = $394.74