Urgent care centers continue to grow in demand and so does the need for accurate urgent care CPT codes and clean claim submission. In 2025, payers follow strict urgent care billing guidelines (CMS), making precise coding important for appropriate urgent care reimbursement rates.
This guide covers all CPT codes for urgent care, including office visit levels, S-codes (S9083, S9088), global fees, and hospital admission CPT codes commonly billed when urgent care transfers a patient for inpatient care.
This is your complete, up-to-date reference for urgent care CPT coding in 2025.
Urgent care CPT codes describe services provided during unscheduled. Walk-in visits for non-emergency but immediate medical needs. These codes include:
Below are the most commonly billed CPT codes for urgent care visits.
A. Office/Urgent Care Visit CPT Codes
CPT Code | Description |
99202 | |
99203 | New patient, low complexity |
99204 | New patient, moderate complexity |
99205 | New patient, high complexity |
99211 | Established patient, minimal issues |
99212 | Established patient, straightforward |
99213 | Established patient, low complexity |
99214 | Established patient, moderate complexity |
99215 |
These are the core urgent care office visit CPT codes used for walk-in patients.
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The most common CPT code for walk-in visit is:
Walk-in urgent care clinics typically see quick-assessment cases, making these codes the most frequently used.
Urgent care centers often bill special S-codes that apply specifically to urgent care services.
S9083 – Global Fee for Urgent Care Centers
Many HMOs and managed care plans require billing under one global fee using this code.
This is important when payers do not allow itemized billing.
S9088 – Increased Urgent Care Services Fee
Some commercial payers pay an additional surcharge for urgent care centers using S9088.
This code is often billed in addition to an E/M code.
Urgent care clinics often perform procedures such as:
These fall under urgent care procedure codes, billed separately unless the payer requires a global fee (S9083).
Some urgent care patients require higher-level care. When the urgent care provider coordinates and admits the patient, these hospital admission CPT codes apply:
Initial Hospital Care CPT Codes
CPT Code | Description |
99221 | Initial hospital care – low complexity |
99222 | Initial hospital care – moderate complexity |
99223 | Initial hospital care – high complexity |
Urgent care providers rarely bill these. But they are necessary when the urgent care provider directly admits a patient.
2025 reimbursement depends on payer type:
Medicare / Medicaid
Commercial Payers
Reimbursement varies widely. So understanding payer rules is essential to maximize urgent care reimbursement rates.
Key CMS rules for urgent care billing:
Following urgent care billing guidelines (CMS) helps reduce denials.
Schedule fee refers to the payer’s contracted reimbursement amounts for:
Understanding your payer fee schedules helps maximize collections.
Cures Medical Billing specializes in billing for urgent care services nationwide.
We help urgent care clinics:
Our coding and billing teams ensure every dollar is captured for your urgent care practice.
The right urgent care CPT codes can directly impact your clinic’s revenue. Whether you bill E/M codes, global urgent care fees (S9083), or enhanced urgent care fees (S9088). Accurate coding is essential for compliance and reimbursement.
Understanding urgent care billing, proper documentation, and CMS guidelines ensures clean claims and higher reimbursements for 2025 and beyond.
The most common urgent care CPT codes are 99202–99205 for new patients and 99211–99215 for established patients. Urgent care centers may also use S9083 (global fee) and S9088 (enhanced urgent care services).
The representative CPT code for a walk-in urgent care visit is 99203 for new patients or 99213 for established patients, depend on complexity.
S9083 is a global urgent care fee code used by certain commercial insurance plans that require billing under a single, all-inclusive rate.
S9088 is an enhanced urgent care services fee added to standard E/M codes. It indicates that the service was provided in an urgent care setting.
No, Medicare and Medicaid do not reimburse S-codes like S9083 or S9088. They only reimburse based on E/M codes (99202–99215).
When a provider performs the initial admission, the codes are:
CMS guidelines require proper medical necessity. Accurate E/M selection, compliant documentation, and correct modifier use. Following them reduces denials and improves revenue.
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