Home
Career Stage
Medical Students Residents Attendings CPT Codes Resources Blog Support

99360 Physician standby services

Evaluation & Management

Also known as: standby service, physician standby, on-call standby

Physician or qualified health professional standby service requiring prolonged physician or qualified health professional attendance without direct patient care; first 30 minutes of standby service.

In Plain Language

Doctor on standby; Reserved medical time

Clinical Context

Used when a physician or qualified health professional is requested to be immediately available for potential provision of medical services but does not provide direct patient care.

RVU Breakdown

Work RVU1.20
Total RVU1.20

Est. Medicare Payment

$40.08

National estimate based on 2026 CMS PFS Conversion Factor ($33.40). Actual payment varies by locality (GPCI adjustment).

Billing & Documentation

E&M codes require documentation of medical decision-making (MDM) complexity or total time spent on the encounter. For 2026, time-based coding includes all physician time on the date of the encounter.

How This Code Compares

With a work RVU of 1.20, this code ranks in the 35th percentile among Evaluation & Management codes — 1.3x below the median (1.54). The highest wRVU in this category is 18.46.

Specialties

All SpecialtiesSurgeryHospital Medicine

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPT code 99360?

CPT 99360 (Physician standby services) is a Evaluation & Management code. Physician or qualified health professional standby service requiring prolonged physician or qualified health professional attendance without direct patient care; first 30 minutes of standby service.

Who uses CPT code 99360?

CPT 99360 is used by All Specialties, Surgery, Hospital Medicine. Used when a physician or qualified health professional is requested to be immediately available for potential provision of medical services but does not provide direct patient care.

When is CPT 99360 used?

Used when a physician or qualified health professional is requested to be immediately available for potential provision of medical services but does not provide direct patient care.

Track This Code in RVU Edge

Log procedures, calculate wRVUs, and benchmark against MGMA data — all in one app.

CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Data sourced from CMS Physician Fee Schedule RVU26A. Descriptions, synonyms, and clinical context are original content by RVU Edge.