Billing code 10006: FNA biopsyMedicare rate & RVUs
Report this add-on for each additional distinct lesion sampled by fine needle aspiration under ultrasound guidance after the first lesion.
Medicare pays $60.12 for 10006 nationally in the office and $43.09 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $55.00–$76.38.
Medicare rate · 10006
FNA biopsy
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 0.98
- Total RVUs
- 1.80
- Global days
- ZZZ
National rate · 2026
$60.12
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 10006 → · 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.
On this page 10 sections
What 10006 covers
A clinician uses ultrasound to locate a target and guide a fine needle to collect cells or fluid from an additional lesion. Common targets include thyroid nodules, cervical lymph nodes, and accessible soft-tissue masses. Radiologists, endocrinologists, surgeons, and other clinicians performing image-guided sampling may report the service in office or outpatient settings. This code represents an additional lesion after the first ultrasound-guided lesion in the same session, not additional needle passes into one lesion.
Report 10006 with 10005 for the first lesion, counting each separately sampled additional lesion. Document the site and identity of each target and the use of ultrasound guidance. The CMS add-on rule requires this code to be billed with a primary procedure; it is paid within that procedure’s global period.
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 10006 pays more and less
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
109 payment localities
$55.00 to $76.38
109 of 109 payment localities
10006 rates by state
Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.
Explore a state
Local rates. Clear comparisons.
Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.
$55.00
$76.38
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
View every state and territory as a table
| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $76.38 | 1 |
| AL | $55.56 | 1 |
| AR | $55.00 | 1 |
| AZ | $58.86 | 1 |
| CA | $61.25–$72.50 | 29 |
| CO | $61.23 | 1 |
| CT | $63.37 | 1 |
| DC | $66.53 | 1 |
| DE | $59.63 | 1 |
| FL | $60.93–$66.71 | 3 |
| GA | $58.27–$61.34 | 2 |
| GU | $61.82 | 1 |
| HI | $61.82 | 1 |
| IA | $55.89 | 1 |
| ID | $56.29 | 1 |
| IL | $60.13–$65.23 | 4 |
| IN | $56.50 | 1 |
| KS | $56.02 | 1 |
| KY | $57.18 | 1 |
| LA | $57.24–$59.22 | 2 |
| MA | $61.16–$65.66 | 2 |
| MD | $60.43–$66.53 | 3 |
| ME | $56.84–$58.55 | 2 |
| MI | $58.53–$61.81 | 2 |
| MN | $58.22 | 1 |
| MO | $56.75–$58.99 | 3 |
| MS | $55.87 | 1 |
| MT | $60.11 | 1 |
| NC | $57.21 | 1 |
| ND | $57.94 | 1 |
| NE | $56.01 | 1 |
| NH | $60.63 | 1 |
| NJ | $63.97–$66.23 | 2 |
| NM | $58.89 | 1 |
| NV | $59.53 | 1 |
| NY | $57.84–$69.85 | 5 |
| OH | $58.09 | 1 |
| OK | $56.76 | 1 |
| OR | $58.94–$62.34 | 2 |
| PA | $57.97–$62.39 | 2 |
| PR | $60.33 | 1 |
| RI | $61.13 | 1 |
| SC | $57.77 | 1 |
| SD | $57.68 | 1 |
| TN | $56.26 | 1 |
| TX | $57.73–$61.60 | 8 |
| UT | $58.32 | 1 |
| VA | $58.64–$66.53 | 2 |
| VI | $60.33 | 1 |
| VT | $58.07 | 1 |
| WA | $60.93–$66.47 | 2 |
| WI | $56.58 | 1 |
| WV | $58.60 | 1 |
| WY | $59.17 | 1 |
How the 10006 rate is calculated
Each of 10006’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 · 10006
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.98Practice expense 0.71Malpractice 0.11
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 10006
The CMS indicators that decide how 10006 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 10006
FNA biopsy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
10006 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
10006 vs 10005 vs 10004 vs 10008 vs 10021: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 10005Ultrasound-guided FNA
- 10005 reports the first ultrasound-guided lesion; 10006 reports each additional distinct lesion sampled in the same session.
- 10004Fine needle aspiration
- Both describe additional-lesion FNA, but 10004 is for sampling without imaging guidance and 10006 is for ultrasound guidance.
- 10008FNA biopsy
- Both are add-on codes for an additional lesion; use 10006 for ultrasound guidance and 10008 for fluoroscopic guidance.
- 10021Fine needle aspiration
- 10021 is for the first lesion sampled without imaging guidance. It is not the add-on for an ultrasound-guided additional lesion.
10006 billing questions
What primary code must accompany 10006?
Report 10006 with 10005 for the first lesion sampled with ultrasound guidance. It is an add-on code and is not reported by itself.
Does each needle pass count as an additional lesion?
No. The add-on is for each additional distinct lesion, not for repeat passes or samples taken from the same lesion.
Can ultrasound guidance be billed separately?
Ultrasound guidance is part of the FNA service represented by 10005 and 10006. Do not separately report guidance for the same sampling service.
What documentation supports reporting multiple units?
Document the location and identity of each distinct lesion sampled, along with ultrasound guidance. The record should distinguish the additional targets from the first lesion.
When should 10004 be considered instead?
10004 is for an additional lesion sampled without imaging guidance. Use 10006 when ultrasound guides sampling of the additional lesion.
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
Fee sheets
Put 10006 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →