CPT code 20561: Dry needling, three or more muscles2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Washington, DC area

In Washington, DC area, Medicare pays $42.84 for 20561 in the office and $21.20 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 20561 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 20561 covers

Dry needling uses a solid needle inserted into muscle tissue without injecting medication, often to address myofascial pain, muscle sensitivity, or movement restrictions. Physical therapists commonly perform it in outpatient rehabilitation; other clinicians may perform it in musculoskeletal or pain-care settings when authorized and trained to do so. The service may target muscles with palpable taut bands or trigger points, but the code’s threshold is the number of muscles treated, not the number of trigger points or needle passes.

Choose 20561 when the session involves three or more distinct muscles; use the lower-level sibling when only one or two muscles are treated. Document the muscles treated and the dry-needling service, including that no substance was injected. Under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, the code has work, practice-expense, and malpractice values; practice expense is represented separately for office and facility settings.

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 Washington, DC area compares for 20561

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 20561 runs from $34.58 in Arkansas to $48.79 in San Benito County, CA. Washington, DC area pays $42.84. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

20561 rates by state

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

See 20561 in every payment locality

How the 20561 rate is calculated

Each of 20561’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 20561

20561 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.

Codes related to 20561

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

How 20561 has changed in Washington, DC area

Price 20561 for an earlier date of service

Where the Washington, DC area rate applies

Washington, DC area is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 1 cities and communities in District of Columbia. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Washington

Browse all communities in District of Columbia

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