CPT code 30920: Arterial ligation, internal maxillary artery2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Massachusetts

Reports surgical ligation of the internal maxillary artery to control severe nasal bleeding when the operative service involves this artery.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 20262 payment localities33 Medicare services in 2024

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 30920 in Massachusetts.

—Office (non-facility)
$790.09–$854.89Hospital or facility

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

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 9 sections
  1. Rate in Massachusetts
  2. What 30920 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. How it’s calculated
  5. Payment rules
  6. Similar codes
  7. Related codes
  8. Billing questions
  9. Sources

What 30920 covers

This operation ties off the internal maxillary artery, a major arterial supply to the nasal region, to control severe epistaxis. It is generally performed by an otolaryngologist in an operating room when bleeding requires surgical arterial control. The operative record should identify the vessel treated, the approach, and the bleeding problem that led to surgery; the code is not selected simply because epistaxis was present.

Report 30920 for the internal maxillary artery ligation actually performed, distinguishing it from ligation of a nasal or sinus artery and from direct control of bleeding. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; 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.

Where 30920 pays more and less in Massachusetts

30920 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Metropolitan Boston, MAUnavailable$854.89
Rest of MassachusettsUnavailable$790.09

How the 30920 rate is calculated

Each of 30920’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 · 30920

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work10.86

10.86 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense10.79

10.79 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.58

1.58 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

23.2300

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$775.90

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 30920

30920 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 30920

Arterial ligation, internal maxillary artery

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.76/0.14Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 30920

Arterial ligation, internal maxillary artery

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

30920 without 51 · national facility

$775.90

Arterial ligation, internal maxillary artery

30920-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$387.95

When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).

When to use modifier 51

30920 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 30920

    Arterial ligation, internal maxillary artery10.86 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 30915

    Nasal artery ligation, sinus-region arterial supply7.25 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 30905

    Nosebleed control, posterior, initial treatment1.92 wRVU

    $395.47

  • 30906

    Nosebleed control, posterior, subsequent treatment2.39 wRVU

    $407.16

How to choose

30915Nasal artery ligationSinus-region arterial supply
30920 identifies internal maxillary artery ligation. 30915 is for ligation of a nasal or sinus artery; use the documented vessel and procedure to distinguish them.
30905Nosebleed controlPosterior, initial treatment
30905 reports direct control of posterior epistaxis. 30920 reports surgical ligation of the internal maxillary artery.
30906Nosebleed controlPosterior, subsequent treatment
30906 is for subsequent direct control of posterior epistaxis. It is not the code for internal maxillary artery ligation.

30920 billing questions

How is 30920 distinguished from 30915?

Choose based on the artery and procedure documented in the operative report. 30920 concerns internal maxillary artery ligation; 30915 describes ligation of a nasal or sinus artery.

Can 30920 be reported with posterior epistaxis control?

30905 and 30906 describe direct control of posterior nasal bleeding, whereas 30920 reports surgical ligation of the internal maxillary artery. Code the service performed rather than reporting both for the same work.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral treatment?

No. The anatomy and descriptor make modifier 50 inappropriate for 30920.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

How are other procedures in the same session paid?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full; other procedures in that session are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction.

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
RVUs for 30920PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,486 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 30920 pays in Massachusetts?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets · Coming soon

Put 30920 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.

Join the waitlist