Billing code 10010: Fine needle aspirationMedicare rate & RVUs
Reports CT-guided fine needle aspiration of each additional distinct lesion sampled after the first lesion during the same procedure.
Medicare pays $235.14 for 10010 nationally in the office and $65.80 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $207.16–$314.87.
Medicare rate · 10010
Fine needle aspiration
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 1.61
- Total RVUs
- 7.04
- Global days
- ZZZ
National rate · 2026
$235.14
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 10010 → · 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 10010 covers
A clinician uses CT to localize and guide a fine needle into an additional distinct lesion, aspirating cells or fluid for cytologic evaluation. The service is typically performed by an interventional radiologist or another physician performing image-guided sampling, often in a hospital or outpatient procedure suite. CT can help target lesions that are deep or difficult to access by palpation or other imaging methods.
Report one unit for each additional lesion sampled after the first CT-guided lesion, which is reported with 10009. Additional needle passes into the same lesion do not constitute additional lesions. The procedure note should identify each target separately and document CT guidance and sampling. CMS classifies 10010 as an add-on code: report it only with its primary procedure, 10009, and payment falls 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 10010 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
$207.16 to $314.87
109 of 109 payment localities
10010 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.
$207.16
$282.21
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 | $270.21 | 1 |
| AL | $210.30 | 1 |
| AR | $207.16 | 1 |
| AZ | $228.73 | 1 |
| CA | $249.54–$314.87 | 29 |
| CO | $245.41 | 1 |
| CT | $251.12 | 1 |
| DC | $269.87 | 1 |
| DE | $232.61 | 1 |
| FL | $231.00–$253.02 | 3 |
| GA | $217.66–$239.50 | 2 |
| GU | $256.08 | 1 |
| HI | $256.08 | 1 |
| IA | $216.09 | 1 |
| ID | $217.50 | 1 |
| IL | $223.92–$245.64 | 4 |
| IN | $218.81 | 1 |
| KS | $214.93 | 1 |
| KY | $215.19 | 1 |
| LA | $214.80–$225.81 | 2 |
| MA | $243.82–$270.40 | 2 |
| MD | $237.20–$269.87 | 3 |
| ME | $218.54–$230.98 | 2 |
| MI | $220.88–$233.85 | 2 |
| MN | $235.26 | 1 |
| MO | $210.90–$226.79 | 3 |
| MS | $209.08 | 1 |
| MT | $235.13 | 1 |
| NC | $220.93 | 1 |
| ND | $230.98 | 1 |
| NE | $217.35 | 1 |
| NH | $241.41 | 1 |
| NJ | $254.01–$266.90 | 2 |
| NM | $222.08 | 1 |
| NV | $234.15 | 1 |
| NY | $224.34–$277.55 | 5 |
| OH | $220.03 | 1 |
| OK | $214.92 | 1 |
| OR | $232.36–$253.56 | 2 |
| PA | $220.46–$244.61 | 2 |
| PR | $236.96 | 1 |
| RI | $241.16 | 1 |
| SC | $220.84 | 1 |
| SD | $230.48 | 1 |
| TN | $216.03 | 1 |
| TX | $218.95–$244.56 | 8 |
| UT | $223.97 | 1 |
| VA | $230.12–$269.87 | 2 |
| VI | $236.96 | 1 |
| VT | $229.93 | 1 |
| WA | $243.41–$276.13 | 2 |
| WI | $222.97 | 1 |
| WV | $215.33 | 1 |
| WY | $233.32 | 1 |
How the 10010 rate is calculated
Each of 10010’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 · 10010
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.61Practice expense 5.22Malpractice 0.21
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 10010
The CMS indicators that decide how 10010 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 10010
Fine needle aspiration
| 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. |
10010 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
10010 vs 10009 vs 10008 vs 10012 vs 10004: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 10009FNA biopsy
- 10009 is for the first lesion sampled with CT guidance. Use 10010 for each additional distinct lesion in the same procedure.
- 10008FNA biopsy
- Both describe aspiration of an additional lesion, but 10008 uses fluoroscopic guidance and 10010 uses CT guidance.
- 10012Fna bx w/mr gdn ea addl
- 10012 is for an additional lesion sampled with MRI guidance; 10010 is the corresponding additional-lesion code for CT guidance.
- 10004Fine needle aspiration
- 10004 applies to an additional lesion sampled without imaging guidance. Use 10010 when CT guides the sampling.
10010 billing questions
When is 10010 reported instead of 10009?
Use 10009 for the first lesion sampled with CT guidance. Report 10010 for each additional distinct lesion sampled during the procedure.
Can 10010 be billed by itself?
No. CMS identifies it as an add-on code, so report it with the primary procedure, 10009.
Do multiple needle passes into one lesion support multiple units?
No. Units represent additional distinct lesions, not additional passes into the same target.
Is CT guidance separately reported for the additional target?
The CT-guided aspiration service is represented by 10010 for the additional lesion; do not report a separate guidance code for that same target.
What documentation supports an additional-lesion unit?
Document the additional target as a distinct lesion and record its CT-guided sampling. The record should distinguish it from the first lesion and from repeat passes at one site.
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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