The cost of a standard outpatient doctor's visit of 20 to 29 minutes can vary considerably from location to location but always follows the same basic formula. So-called relative value units for the physician's labor, the cost of the facility and malpractice insurance premiums are always the same regardless of the location, but those are then multiplied by their own geographic indexes that factor in variable costs across the country. The total from that is then multiplied by a conversion factor, currently $34.61, and the result is what the doctor can bill the patient.