Elizabeth Kvale, MD
Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Family Medicine) Physician · Houston, TX 77030 · NPI 1245267616
64%of Medicare
BCBSTX pays Elizabeth Kvale, MD $61.45 for a 99213 — Office visit, established patient, low complexity. Medicare pays $96.33 for the same service in this locality. Commercial insurance is widely assumed to pay above Medicare.
Negotiated rates vs Medicare
| Service | BCBSTX | Medicare | % of Medicare | Among Houston hospice and palliative medicine (family medicine) physicians |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99213Office visit, established patient, low complexity | $61.45 | $96.33 | 64% | above 44% of 19 Houston hospice and palliative medicine (family medicine) physicians |
| 99214Office visit, established patient, moderate complexity | $154.38 | $137.41 | 112% | above 72% of 19 Houston hospice and palliative medicine (family medicine) physicians |
Also contracted — outside this specialty’s usual billing
| Service | BCBSTX | Medicare | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70553MRI brain, with and without contrast | $88.84 | $317.92 | 28% | not typically billed by hospice and palliative medicine (family medicine) physicians |
| 74177CT abdomen and pelvis, with contrast | $78.35 | $300.72 | 26% | not typically billed by hospice and palliative medicine (family medicine) physicians |
A payer’s file carries a rate for every code in the contract’s fee class, whether or not the clinician will ever bill it. These rows are real, and they are how the fee class shows through — but they are not evidence that Elizabeth Kvale, MD performs these services, and they are kept out of the benchmark above.