CPT code 11046: Wound debridement, each additional 20 cm²2026 Medicare rate & RVUs
Reports additional wound surface area debrided through muscle or fascia after the initial area, when the total area exceeds 20 square centimeters.
Medicare pays $76.49 for 11046 nationally in the office and $47.76 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $68.23–$93.46.
Medicare rate · 11046
Wound debridement, each additional 20 cm²
- Work RVUs
- 1
- Total RVUs
- 2.29
- Global days
- ZZZ
National rate · 2026
$76.49
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 11046 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
Your location
On this page 10 sections
What 11046 covers
This add-on represents debridement of additional wound area when the clinician removes nonviable tissue through muscle or fascia. It commonly accompanies wound care for pressure injuries, diabetic foot ulcers, or traumatic wounds, in a wound clinic, office, or operating room. The code selection follows the deepest tissue actually removed, not simply the wound’s appearance or diagnosis.
Report 11046 with 11043, the primary code for the initial area at this tissue depth. Each unit covers another 20 square centimeters or part of that increment beyond the first 20; document the total area debrided at muscle or fascia depth and the tissue removed. When multiple wounds are treated at the same depth, their areas are combined for code selection; do not combine areas debrided to different depths. As an add-on, 11046 is billed only with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure’s global period.
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 11046 pays more and less
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
109 payment localities
$68.23 to $93.46
109 of 109 payment localities
11046 rates by state
Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.
Explore a state
Local rates. Clear comparisons.
Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.
$68.23
$92.73
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
View every state and territory as a table
| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $92.73 | 1 |
| AL | $69.14 | 1 |
| AR | $68.23 | 1 |
| AZ | $74.44 | 1 |
| CA | $77.64–$93.46 | 29 |
| CO | $77.85 | 1 |
| CT | $81.32 | 1 |
| DC | $85.55 | 1 |
| DE | $75.57 | 1 |
| FL | $78.06–$87.70 | 3 |
| GA | $73.74–$78.45 | 2 |
| GU | $78.85 | 1 |
| HI | $78.85 | 1 |
| IA | $69.54 | 1 |
| ID | $70.20 | 1 |
| IL | $76.86–$85.12 | 4 |
| IN | $70.54 | 1 |
| KS | $69.81 | 1 |
| KY | $71.87 | 1 |
| LA | $72.00–$75.18 | 2 |
| MA | $77.68–$84.29 | 2 |
| MD | $76.74–$85.55 | 3 |
| ME | $71.15–$73.82 | 2 |
| MI | $74.11–$79.56 | 2 |
| MN | $73.09 | 1 |
| MO | $71.25–$74.74 | 3 |
| MS | $69.72 | 1 |
| MT | $76.48 | 1 |
| NC | $71.74 | 1 |
| ND | $72.72 | 1 |
| NE | $69.71 | 1 |
| NH | $77.20 | 1 |
| NJ | $81.82–$84.90 | 2 |
| NM | $74.71 | 1 |
| NV | $75.46 | 1 |
| NY | $72.77–$91.01 | 5 |
| OH | $73.34 | 1 |
| OK | $71.14 | 1 |
| OR | $74.46–$79.48 | 2 |
| PA | $73.13–$79.82 | 2 |
| PR | $76.80 | 1 |
| RI | $77.65 | 1 |
| SC | $72.74 | 1 |
| SD | $72.27 | 1 |
| TN | $70.21 | 1 |
| TX | $72.73–$78.88 | 8 |
| UT | $73.64 | 1 |
| VA | $74.00–$85.55 | 2 |
| VI | $76.80 | 1 |
| VT | $72.99 | 1 |
| WA | $77.35–$85.34 | 2 |
| WI | $70.55 | 1 |
| WV | $74.41 | 1 |
| WY | $74.84 | 1 |
How the 11046 rate is calculated
Each of 11046’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.
How the rate is built · 11046
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.00
1.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.10
1.10 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.19
0.19 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
2.2900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$76.49
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 11046
The CMS indicators that decide how 11046 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 11046
Wound debridement, each additional 20 cm²
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
11046 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 11043Wound debridementMuscle or fascia, initial area
- 11043 reports the initial area debrided through muscle or fascia. Add 11046 only for additional area beyond that initial area.
- 11045Wound debridementSubcutaneous, each additional 20 sq cm
- 11045 covers additional area debrided to subcutaneous tissue; 11046 is selected when the additional area is debrided through muscle or fascia.
- 11047Bone debridementEach additional 20 sq cm
- 11047 is the additional-area code when debridement reaches bone. Use 11046 when the deepest tissue removed is muscle or fascia.
11046 billing questions
Which primary code must accompany 11046?
Report 11046 with 11043, which represents the initial area debrided at muscle or fascia depth. It is not a stand-alone code.
How many units should be reported?
Count each additional 20 square centimeters or part of that increment beyond the initial 20 square centimeters. For example, a total treated area of 41 square centimeters at this depth supports two units of 11046 with 11043.
How is the area determined when there are multiple wounds?
Combine the surface areas of wounds debrided to the same depth. Keep areas debrided to different tissue depths separate.
What documentation supports 11046?
Record the tissue actually removed, the depth reached, and the total surface area debrided at muscle or fascia depth. The note should support the additional area beyond the initial 20 square centimeters.
Does 11046 have its own global period?
CMS identifies it as an add-on paid within the primary procedure’s global period. It must be reported with the primary procedure.
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
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
Fee sheets
Put 11046 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
Build my fee sheet