Samuel A. Collins
| DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
For 2026, relative value units (RVUs) for acupuncture services have increased under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). These changes result in higher reimbursement potential for acupuncture procedures and extend beyond traditional Medicare.
Payers Impacted by RVU Increases
The RVU increases will also benefit:
- Veterans Affairs (VA) reimbursements tied to Medicare fee schedules
- Commercial and Medicare Advantage plans that base payment rates on Medicare RVU values
These adjustments reflect updates to work RVUs, practice expense RVUs and malpractice RVUs, leading to improved valuation of acupuncture services across payers that align with Medicare methodology.
A Multi-Year Trend
Since 2024, the initial acupuncture codes have increased approximately 20% in RVU value. From 2025 to 2026, RVUs increased by approximately 5%.
Acupuncture RVU Comparison by Year
| CPT Code |
2024 RVU |
2025 RVU |
2026 RVU |
| 97810 |
1.15 |
1.38 |
1.44 |
| 97811 |
0.85 |
0.79 |
0.85 |
| 97813 |
1.36 |
1.59 |
1.69 |
| 97814 |
1.10 |
0.89 |
0.86 |
Why RVUs Matter
RVUs are critical because they establish relative payment ratios between services. A clear example is why payment for subsequent sets is about 60% lower than the initial acupuncture set.
Medicare, for instance, uses a conversion of approximately $34 and fees are based on 34 times the RVU of the service.
Note that many states use a standard conversion of RVU to determine fees. Michigan simply is 200% of Medicare for personal injury. VA is at Medicare rates and in North Carolina, workers’ compensation is 140% of Medicare.
In other states they do multipliers like Medicare. For example, in Arizona you multiply any RVU by $68 to determine the fee. Other select examples by state: Alaska: $80, Maryland: $51.78, South Carolina: $52.00, Texas: $72.07, and Utah: $59.
Although 2026 rates have increased and payers will adjust:
- You must bill the higher rate to receive the increased payment.
- Payers will continue to pay the billed amount, even when allowable rates are higher.
Failing to update your fee schedule effectively leaves revenue on the table.
Additional Note: E/M Services
For 2026, Evaluation & Management (E/M) services also experienced an approximate 7% RVU increase. Practices should review and adjust E/M fee schedules accordingly to remain aligned with updated Medicare valuation.
