CPT code 20553: Trigger point injection, three or more muscles2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Baltimore area, MD

In Baltimore area, MD, Medicare pays $63.20 for 20553 in the office and $42.77 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 20553 nationwide

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

What 20553 covers

This service treats myofascial pain by placing a needle into trigger points in three or more muscles and injecting medication at the identified sites. A trigger point is a tender, taut area within muscle associated with the patient’s symptoms; the target is muscle rather than a tendon sheath or tendon attachment. Physicians and other qualified practitioners commonly perform these injections in office-based pain, rehabilitation, primary care, or orthopedic settings.

Select the code by the number of muscles treated, not the number of trigger points or needle passes: 20553 covers three or more muscles, while 20552 covers one or two. Document the muscles and sites treated, relevant examination findings, and the procedure performed. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery 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.

How Baltimore area, MD compares for 20553

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 20553 runs from $53.88 in Arkansas to $75.70 in San Benito County, CA. Baltimore area, MD pays $63.20. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

20553 rates by state

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

See 20553 in every payment locality

How the 20553 rate is calculated

Each of 20553’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 20553

The CMS indicators that decide how 20553 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

Codes related to 20553

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

How 20553 has changed in Baltimore area, MD

Price 20553 for an earlier date of service

Where the Baltimore area, MD rate applies

Baltimore area, MD is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 100 cities and communities in Maryland. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Baltimore
• Aberdeen
• Aberdeen Proving Ground
• Abingdon
• Annapolis
• Annapolis Neck
• Arbutus
• Arden on the Severn

Browse all communities in Maryland

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