CPT code 21034: Tumor excision, malignant, maxilla or zygoma2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Texas

Medicare pays $1,240.67–$1,336.98 for 21034 in the office in Texas, from Beaumont, TX to Houston, TX. Which amount applies depends on the service address.

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

What 21034 covers

This service covers surgical excision of a malignant tumor involving the maxilla, or upper jaw, or the zygoma, the cheekbone. It is typically performed in an operating room by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, head and neck surgeon, or another surgeon treating facial bone malignancy. The operative approach and tissue removed depend on the tumor’s location and extent; the code is specific to the malignant tumor site, not simply any procedure on facial bone.

Choose this code when the operative report supports a malignant tumor of the maxilla or zygoma and documents the excision performed. A benign tumor at those sites points to 21030; a malignant mandibular tumor belongs to a different code family. The service has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this descriptor and anatomy.

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 21034 pays more and less in Texas

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

8 of 8 payment localities

How the 21034 rate is calculated

Each of 21034’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 21034

21034 has a 90-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

21034 compared with similar codes

How to choose

21030Bone lesion excisionMaxilla or zygoma, benign

Use 21034 for a malignant maxillary or zygomatic tumor. Code 21030 is for a benign tumor or cyst at those sites.

21044Jaw tumor excisionMandible, intraoral approach

Both address malignant tumor excision, but 21044 is for the mandible; 21034 is for the maxilla or zygoma.

21026Facial bone excisionOne or more facial bones

Code 21026 describes excision of facial bone more generally. Use 21034 when the documented service is excision of a malignant tumor specifically involving the maxilla or zygoma.

Codes related to 21034

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