CPT code 68135: Lesion destruction, conjunctiva2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $159.66 for 68135 nationally in the office and $129.93 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $144.09–$205.28.

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

What 68135 covers

An ophthalmologist typically uses a destructive technique, such as cryotherapy or cautery, to treat a lesion on the conjunctiva, the membrane covering the eye’s front surface and lining the eyelids. A conjunctival papilloma is one example of a lesion that may be treated this way. The service may be performed in an office or facility setting, depending on the procedure and patient circumstances.

Select this code when the lesion is destroyed rather than removed by excision or sampled for diagnosis. Document the treated eye, lesion location and characteristics, and method of destruction. The 10-day global period includes related postoperative visits during that period. For bilateral treatment, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; 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 68135 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

68135 rates by state

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

How the 68135 rate is calculated

Each of 68135’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 68135

68135 has a 10-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

68135 compared with similar codes

How to choose

68100Conjunctival biopsyDiagnostic tissue sampling

68100 is for sampling conjunctival tissue to obtain a diagnosis. Use 68135 when the lesion is treated by destruction without a diagnostic tissue sample.

68110Conjunctival excisionLesion under 1 cm

68110 describes excision of a conjunctival lesion up to 1 cm. Choose 68135 when the method is destruction, not surgical removal.

68115Conjunctival excisionLesion larger than 1 cm

68115 describes excision of a conjunctival lesion over 1 cm. It differs from 68135 by removal method, not simply by lesion size.

68130Conjunctival excisionAdjacent sclera included

68130 describes excision of a conjunctival lesion adjacent to the sclera. Use 68135 for destruction rather than excision.

Codes related to 68135

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