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Medicare Fee Schedule Rates

Medicare physician fee lookup

medicare_get_physician_fee
Read-onlyIdempotent

Use this when you need what Medicare's Physician Fee Schedule allows for a CPT or HCPCS code on a given date of service, for the nation or for one state or locality, in the office or facility setting. It takes up to 25 lines (code, modifier, date of service) and returns one answer per line, in order: CMS's allowed amount (national figure, plus the state range or one locality's figure when a state is given), the CMS release in force on that date, its source files with SHA-256 checksums, and the release catalog URL. It covers dates of service from Jan 1, 2023 through Dec 31, 2026; each date is priced under the quarterly CMS release in force that day, and a date outside that span gets a reason instead of a figure. A code with no national rate on this schedule (bundled, carrier-priced, laboratory, drug, anesthesia, ambulance, supplies, or absent from that release) returns a result_kind and a reason, not an error, and a malformed line returns an error for that line only. Do not use it for hospital outpatient or inpatient facility payments, ambulatory surgery center fees, Medicaid, commercial or workers' compensation rates, CPT code descriptions, or opinions on whether a charge is reasonable. It is read-only; amounts are Medicare-allowed amounts per unit, before sequestration and multiple-procedure reductions.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
linesYesOne to 25 service lines to price. The answers come back in this order.
stateNoOptional, applies to every line. Two-letter key or full name of a state, DC, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. Leave it out for the national figure only. Example: NJ.
detailNoOptional, applies to every line. concise (default) returns the national figure and the state range. detailed lists every locality in the state, with the geographic indexes used, and needs state.
settingNoOptional, applies to every line. Which setting the headline figure reports: office (non-facility) or facility (hospital). Both settings are always in the figures. Leave it out for the setting CMS shows first.
localityNoOptional, applies to every line, needs state. CMS locality number inside that state. Leave it out to get the state's range. Example: 01.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
noticeYes
schemaYes
resultsYes
coverageYes
releasesYes
ama_noticeYes
recipe_formulaYes
release_catalog_urlYes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. First observed

TDQS

A4.7/5.0
Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare read-only, non-destructive, idempotent, and closed-world. The description adds rich behavioral context: coverage dates from Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2026, quarterly release pricing, behavior for codes with no national rate (returns result_kind and reason, not error), malformed line handling, and output format details (allowed amount, release, source files with checksums, catalog URL). This far exceeds annotation coverage.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness3/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is long and dense, covering many aspects, but every sentence is informative. However, it could be more front-loaded: the key usage condition is first, but the output format and coverage details are packed into long sentences that may be harder to parse. It's appropriately sized given the complexity, but not optimally structured for quick scanning.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given the tool's complexity (5 parameters, nested lines array, specific output format), the description is highly complete. It explains input structure, output format, date coverage, error handling, and exclusions. The output schema exists, so detailed return values need not be explained, and the description still provides a helpful summary. Nothing critical is missing for correct invocation.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so the schema already fully documents every parameter. The description adds meaning beyond the schema by explaining the overall input structure (up to 25 lines of code, modifier, date of service) and output ordering, but does not add syntax or format details not already in the schema. Baseline 3 is appropriate; slight boost because it clarifies the multi-line nature and result per line.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb (look up) and resource (Medicare Physician Fee Schedule amount) for a CPT/HCPCS code and date, and explicitly contrasts with sibling medicare_list_fee_releases by focusing on pricing rather than listing releases. An agent can distinguish this from the sibling without opening its schema.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicitly states when to use it ('when you need what Medicare's Physician Fee Schedule allows...'), provides detailed exclusions (hospital outpatient/inpatient, ASC, Medicaid, commercial, workers' comp, CPT descriptions, reasonableness opinions), and implicitly routes to other tools for those purposes. Clear conditions for use and non-use.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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