CPT code 68750: Tear drainage bypass, tube or stent placement2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Illinois
A lacrimal surgeon creates a tear drainage pathway from the conjunctival sac to the nasal cavity and places a tube or stent.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 68750 in Illinois.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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What 68750 covers
This operation bypasses the usual tear drainage route by connecting the conjunctival sac to the nasal cavity with a tube or stent. Ophthalmologists specializing in oculoplastic or lacrimal surgery typically perform it for severe drainage obstruction when the normal canalicular pathway cannot provide adequate drainage. It is generally performed in an operating room, with the implant maintaining the new passage for tears.
Report this code when the surgeon creates the conjunctiva-to-nose pathway and places the tube or stent; that placement is part of the service. The operative report should identify the indication, side, new drainage route, and tube or stent placement. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; 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.
Where 68750 pays more and less in Illinois
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | Unavailable | $788.58 |
| East St. Louis, IL | Unavailable | $745.22 |
| Rest of Illinois | Unavailable | $730.12 |
| Suburban Chicago, IL | Unavailable | $782.89 |
How the 68750 rate is calculated
Each of 68750’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 · 68750
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work9.85
9.85 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense11.75
11.75 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.82
0.82 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
22.4200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$748.85
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 68750
68750 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 68750
Tear drainage bypass, tube or stent placement
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.70/0.20 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 68750
Tear drainage bypass, tube or stent placement
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
68750 without 50 · national facility
$748.85
Tear drainage bypass, tube or stent placement
68750-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$1,123.28
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).
68750 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 68745Tear duct bypassWith tube or stent
- Both establish a nasal route for tear drainage, but 68745 uses the lacrimal sac and this code uses the conjunctival sac with a tube or stent.
- 68720Tear drainage surgeryNo tube or stent
- 68720 creates a connection from the lacrimal sac to the nose. This code bypasses the usual drainage route from the conjunctival sac to the nose with a tube or stent.
- 68700Canaliculus repairTear drainage channel
- 68700 reconstructs canaliculi; this code creates a bypass when the surgeon uses a conjunctiva-to-nose route with a tube or stent.
- 68705Punctum revisionWith reconstruction
- 68705 addresses canalicular stenosis. Choose this code when the procedure instead creates the conjunctival bypass and places a tube or stent.
68750 billing questions
When is this code preferred over a dacryocystorhinostomy?
Use this code when the surgeon creates a bypass from the conjunctival sac to the nose with a tube or stent. A dacryocystorhinostomy uses the lacrimal sac as the connection point.
Is placement of the tube or stent separately reported?
No. Tube or stent placement is included in this procedure.
How should bilateral surgery be reported?
CMS identifies the procedure as bilateral and pays modifier 50 at 150%. The operative documentation should establish that the procedure was performed on both sides.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. It does not describe unrelated services.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
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
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