CPT code 68761: Punctal occlusion, plug, each punctum2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Alaska

In Alaska, Medicare pays $171.31 for 68761 in the office and $128.98 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 68761 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 68761 covers

An ophthalmologist places a plug in a lacrimal punctum to reduce tear drainage and help retain the eye’s natural tears. This is commonly performed in an office for patients with dry eye related to inadequate tear volume. The code represents treatment of each punctum, rather than a permanent closure technique or surgery to restore tear drainage.

Report the code for each punctum treated and document the indication, site and number of puncta, and plug placement. For bilateral treatment, modifier 50 applies; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%. A 10-day global period includes related postoperative visits during that period. If multiple procedures subject to the standard multiple-procedure rule are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of 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 Alaska compares for 68761

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 68761 runs from $128.73 in Arkansas to $189.31 in San Benito County, CA. Alaska pays $171.31. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

68761 rates by state

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

See 68761 in every payment locality

How the 68761 rate is calculated

Each of 68761’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 68761

68761 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

Codes related to 68761

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

How 68761 has changed in Alaska

Price 68761 for an earlier date of service

Where the Alaska rate applies

Alaska is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 355 cities and communities in Alaska. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Adak
• Akhiok
• Akiachak
• Akiak
• Akutan
• Alakanuk
• Alatna
• Alcan Border

Browse all communities in Alaska

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