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CPT code 66600: Iris surgery, lesion removal2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

An ophthalmic surgeon removes an iris lesion along with iris tissue, commonly when a tumor or other focal lesion requires surgical excision.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities147 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $791.27 for 66600 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 66600

Iris surgery, lesion removal

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
9.87
Total RVUs
23.69
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$791.27

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 66600 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 66600 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 66600 covers

An ophthalmologist performs this operation to excise an iris lesion, such as a suspected tumor, together with the involved iris tissue. It is generally performed in an operating-room setting, with the operative approach guided by the lesion’s location and the tissue that must be removed. The excised tissue may be submitted for pathologic examination.

Report 66600 when the operation removes an iris lesion, rather than for an iridectomy performed for another purpose, such as glaucoma treatment. The operative report should identify the lesion, its location, and the excision performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; 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 66600 pays more and less

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

109 of 109 payment localities

66600 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$725.41
AlaskaUnavailable$972.54
ArizonaUnavailable$773.98
ArkansasUnavailable$717.10
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$804.52
Austin, TXUnavailable$814.16
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$828.99
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$834.57
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$750.22
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$784.18

66600 rates by state

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

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
66600 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 66600 rate is calculated

Each of 66600’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 · 66600

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work9.87

9.87 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense13.03

13.03 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.79

0.79 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

23.6900

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$791.27

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 66600

66600 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 66600

Iris surgery, lesion removal

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)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
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)0.10/0.70/0.20Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 66600

Iris surgery, lesion removal

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 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

66600 without 50 · national facility

$791.27

Iris surgery, lesion removal

66600-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,186.91

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

66600 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 66600

    Iris surgery, lesion removal9.87 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 66630

    Iris excision, non-glaucoma indication7.1 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 66635

    Iris removal, complete iridectomy7.19 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 66680

    Iris repair, iris or ciliary body7.77 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

66630Iris excisionNon-glaucoma indication
66600 describes excision of an iris lesion with iris tissue. 66630 is an iridectomy performed for glaucoma.
66635Iris removalComplete iridectomy
Use 66635 for a sector iridectomy when that is the operation performed; 66600 is for excision of an iris lesion.
66680Iris repairIris or ciliary body
66600 removes an iris lesion with tissue. 66680 is an iris or ciliary body repair service, not lesion excision.

Codes related to 66600

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

Codes related to 66600
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
66625Iridectomy, peripheral, for glaucomaAnother iridectomy code; distinguish its corneoscleral approach from excision of an iris lesion.No office rate
66630Iris excision, non-glaucoma indicationPeripheral iridectomy for glaucoma, rather than iris lesion excision.No office rate
66635Iris removal, complete iridectomySector iridectomy; select based on the operation performed, not merely the presence of an iris lesion.No office rate

66600 billing questions

When should 66600 be chosen over an iridectomy for glaucoma?

Use 66600 when the surgeon excises an iris lesion along with iris tissue. An iridectomy performed to treat glaucoma, without lesion removal, is a different service.

What documentation supports reporting 66600?

The operative report should describe the iris lesion, its location, and the tissue excised. Documenting the surgical purpose helps distinguish lesion removal from an iridectomy for another indication.

How is bilateral surgery reported?

CMS identifies 66600 as bilateral; modifier 50 is paid at 150%. The record should support lesion removal on both eyes.

How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?

The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period. CMS classifies this as major surgery.

Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?

CMS applies a statutory restriction to assistant-at-surgery payment for 66600. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?

Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50% when performed in the same session.

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 66600PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,379 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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