CPT code 49424: Cavity contrast study, existing abscess, cyst, or tract2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Puerto Rico

In Puerto Rico, Medicare pays $172.56 for 49424 in the office and $32.08 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 49424 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 49424 covers

A clinician injects contrast through an existing catheter or other access into an abscess cavity, cyst, or sinus tract, then obtains and interprets imaging to assess its shape, extent, or communication with nearby structures. This study is commonly performed by an interventional radiologist or another physician managing a percutaneous drain, in a hospital or outpatient setting. A sinogram through an established tract is a typical use; this code describes assessment, not placement of a new drainage catheter.

Report the study when documentation identifies the target cavity or tract, the reason for assessment, the contrast injection and imaging performed, and the findings. The service includes radiological supervision and interpretation. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur 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. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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 Puerto Rico compares for 49424

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 49424 runs from $149.58 in Arkansas to $236.28 in San Benito County, CA. Puerto Rico pays $172.56. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

49424 rates by state

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

See 49424 in every payment locality

How the 49424 rate is calculated

Each of 49424’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 49424

The CMS indicators that decide how 49424 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

Codes related to 49424

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

How 49424 has changed in Puerto Rico

Price 49424 for an earlier date of service

Where the Puerto Rico rate applies

Puerto Rico is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 292 cities and communities in Puerto Rico. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Aceitunas
• Adjuntas
• Aguada
• Aguadilla
• Aguas Buenas
• Aguas Claras
• Aguilita
• Aibonito

Browse all communities in Puerto Rico

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