CPT code 10121: Foreign body removal, complicated subcutaneous2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $275.22 for 10121 nationally in the office and $171.68 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $244.63–$355.77.

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 10121 covers

A clinician uses an incision and dissection to locate and remove a foreign object lodged in subcutaneous tissue, the tissue beneath the skin. Examples include embedded splinters, glass fragments, or metal. The code is appropriate when the removal involves complicated dissection; the object’s material or size alone does not establish that level. These procedures may occur in an office, emergency department, or other setting where a clinician treats the wound.

Document the object’s location and depth, the incision and dissection performed, and why removal was complicated. Use 10120 for a simple subcutaneous removal. Medicare includes related postoperative visits for 10 days in this minor procedure’s global period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 10121 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

10121 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

How the 10121 rate is calculated

Each of 10121’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for 10121

10121 has a 10-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

10121 compared with similar codes

How to choose

10120Foreign body removalSimple subcutaneous extraction

Both address foreign bodies in subcutaneous tissue. Choose 10121 for complicated dissection and 10120 for simple removal.

20520Foreign body removalMuscle or tendon, simple

Use 20520 for a simple removal from muscle or a tendon sheath; 10121 concerns subcutaneous tissue and complicated dissection.

20525Foreign body removalDeep or complicated

Both describe complicated removal, but 20525 is for a foreign body in muscle or a tendon sheath rather than subcutaneous tissue.

10140Fluid drainageHematoma, seroma, or collection

10140 is for incision and drainage of a hematoma, seroma, or fluid collection; 10121 removes a foreign object.

Codes related to 10121

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates