2026 Emergency Medicine POCUS Billing Update: Key Code and Reimbursement Changes

Dillon W. Casey, MD
Chris Thom, MD, RDMS
ACEP EUS Coding and Reimbursement Subcommittee Co-Chairs

The 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule introduces several updates that directly affect Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) billing in Emergency Medicine. Changes to CPT code structure, updated work RVU (wRVU) assignments, and the application of the 2.5% efficiency adjustment collectively impact how ultrasound work is reimbursed across common emergency ultrasound applications.

To help clinicians and ultrasound leaders navigate these changes, we updated the Emergency Medicine POCUS Billing & Coding Guide to reflect 2026 CPT codes, current wRVU values, and adjusted reimbursement estimates. The guide allows users to compare studies side-by-side and understand how documentation and code selection translate into measurable productivity and revenue changes.

This resource is intended to support education, productivity analysis, and program development by providing transparent, current data in a single, easy-to-use format.

As always, thoughtful documentation remains the key step in translating good clinical care into accurate reimbursement — and we hope this tool makes that process a little easier.

For additional ultrasound coding and reimbursement content please visit our subcommittee webpage.

Please reach out to us with any direct questions or concerns, we are always happy to help!