~7,800
Median wRVUs / yr
ED levels, critical care time, procedures — the codes that make up a shift, with 2026 CMS wRVU values and a tracker designed for shift-based productivity reporting.
Compensation and productivity benchmarks pulled from public physician surveys and the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.
The codes that drive the bulk of emergency medicine billing, with current Work RVU values from the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Use these as a baseline — locality (GPCI) and modifiers adjust the final payment.
| Code | Description | wRVU | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99281 | ED visit, level 1 (problem-focused) | 0.25 | E&M |
| 99282 | ED visit, level 2 (expanded problem-focused) | 0.93 | E&M |
| 99283 | ED visit, level 3 (detailed) | 1.60 | E&M |
| 99284 | ED visit, level 4 (high complexity, urgent) | 2.74 | E&M |
| 99285 | ED visit, level 5 (high complexity, emergent) | 4.00 | E&M |
| 99291 | Critical care, first 30-74 min | 4.50 | E&M |
| 99292 | Critical care, additional 30 min | 2.25 | E&M |
| 31500 | Emergency endotracheal intubation | 3.00 | Procedure |
| 36556 | Central venous catheter placement, age 5+ | 1.75 | Procedure |
| 12001 | Simple wound repair, scalp/neck/axilla, ≤2.5 cm | 0.84 | Procedure |
| 12031 | Intermediate wound repair, scalp/neck, 2.6-7.5 cm | 2.00 | Procedure |
| 32551 | Tube thoracostomy | 3.04 | Procedure |
Source: 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (CMS). Values reflect the national, unadjusted Work RVU.
Where emergency medicine productivity falls across the percentile distribution. Most RVU-based contracts target the median (50th percentile); high-volume practices push into the 75th-90th range.
MGMA-aligned 2024 estimates. Verify with your group's data source for contract negotiations.
Typical total compensation ranges across a emergency medicine career. Numbers blend salary, RVU productivity, and bonus components reported in physician surveys.
First 1-3 years out of training. Base-heavy contracts; productivity bonuses begin to ramp.
Years 4-10. RVU-based comp dominates as case volume settles into a steady pattern.
10+ years, partnership track, ASC ownership, or high-volume practice settings.
Ranges synthesized from Doximity 2024 and AMGA / MGMA-aligned compensation reports. Actual offers vary by region, practice setting, and case mix.
Most RVU tools were built for one type of day. RVU Tracker handles the mix of clinic, procedures, and inpatient work that actually shows up on a emergency medicine schedule.
Save your most-used codes as quick-add buttons. Log a visit in seconds between patients.
Add multiple codes per encounter; the tracker sums correctly with MPPR awareness when relevant.
Tag clinic vs. procedure days and see productivity per session. Decide where to add capacity.
Every code ships with current Work RVU values. Year-over-year updates roll out automatically.
Set your wRVU threshold. The tracker shows monthly pace and projects year-end totals.
Plug in your conversion factor and see real-time earnings. Compare offers during contract review.
A few high-leverage details that quietly cost RVUs (and revenue) when missed.
99291 starts at 30 minutes of critical care time and pays meaningfully more than 99285. Document precise minutes of critical care; vague language ('spent significant time') gets downcoded. 99292 captures additional 30-min increments.
Most procedures performed during critical care are bundled into 99291 (CPR, vent management, vasopressors). Discrete procedures (intubation 31500, central line 36556, chest tube 32551) are separately billable — don't include them in critical care time.
Simple (12001-12018), intermediate (12031-12057), and complex (13100-13160) repairs are coded by site + length. Always measure post-repair length and document layer closure for intermediate.
When a patient is admitted to ED observation, 99224-99226 (sub) and 99217 (discharge) replace ED E&M codes. The crossover is easy to miss on a busy shift; tracker should flag obs vs. discharge transitions.
2026 CMS data pre-loaded for every code. Designed for the cadence of a real emergency medicine day.