CPT code 66172: Glaucoma surgery, prior surgery or trauma scarring2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Washington, DC area

In Washington, DC area, Medicare pays $1,149.81 for 66172 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 66172 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 66172 covers

An ophthalmic surgeon performs a filtering operation to lower intraocular pressure by creating a pathway for aqueous humor to leave the eye and collect beneath the conjunctiva. This code applies when scarring from earlier ocular surgery or trauma affects the operative setting. The procedure is commonly performed in an operating room for a patient with glaucoma who needs pressure-lowering surgery.

Document the glaucoma indication, the prior surgery or trauma, and the resulting scarring that supports choosing this code over 66170. The service has a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period are included. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in one 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.

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 66172

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 66172 runs from $938.80 in Arkansas to $1,288.37 in San Benito County, CA. Washington, DC area pays $1,149.81. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

66172 rates by state

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

See 66172 in every payment locality

How the 66172 rate is calculated

Each of 66172’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 66172

66172 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 50

Codes related to 66172

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

How 66172 has changed in Washington, DC area

Price 66172 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