Billing code 10035: Soft-tissue localizationMedicare rate & RVUs
Percutaneous placement of an image-guided marker in a soft-tissue target before surgery, reported for the first lesion requiring localization.
Medicare pays $345.37 for 10035 nationally in the office and $71.14 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $302.53–$474.46.
Medicare rate · 10035
Soft-tissue localization
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 1.66
- Total RVUs
- 10.34
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$345.37
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 10035 → · 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 10035 covers
A physician places a localization marker into a soft-tissue target through the skin so the site can be identified for a later procedure. Devices may include a clip, wire, metallic marker, or radioactive seed. Common targets include a nonpalpable mass or lymph node that a surgeon needs to locate for excision. The service is typically performed by an interventional radiologist or another physician in an imaging suite or operating room. Imaging guidance is included in the placement service.
Report 10035 for the first lesion; use 10036 for each additional lesion. Documentation should identify the target and site, the localization device placed, and the imaging guidance used. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented 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.
Where 10035 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
$302.53 to $474.46
109 of 109 payment localities
10035 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.
$302.53
$422.71
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 | $389.01 | 1 |
| AL | $307.37 | 1 |
| AR | $302.53 | 1 |
| AZ | $335.74 | 1 |
| CA | $370.96–$474.46 | 29 |
| CO | $362.98 | 1 |
| CT | $369.55 | 1 |
| DC | $399.60 | 1 |
| DE | $341.66 | 1 |
| FL | $335.71–$365.70 | 3 |
| GA | $315.76–$351.22 | 2 |
| GU | $381.92 | 1 |
| HI | $381.92 | 1 |
| IA | $317.78 | 1 |
| ID | $319.63 | 1 |
| IL | $323.83–$357.81 | 4 |
| IN | $321.70 | 1 |
| KS | $315.26 | 1 |
| KY | $313.33 | 1 |
| LA | $312.44–$329.37 | 2 |
| MA | $360.16–$402.16 | 2 |
| MD | $348.87–$399.60 | 3 |
| ME | $320.48–$340.71 | 2 |
| MI | $321.37–$339.31 | 2 |
| MN | $349.61 | 1 |
| MO | $305.99–$331.73 | 3 |
| MS | $304.37 | 1 |
| MT | $345.35 | 1 |
| NC | $324.27 | 1 |
| ND | $341.99 | 1 |
| NE | $319.95 | 1 |
| NH | $356.31 | 1 |
| NJ | $374.28–$394.72 | 2 |
| NM | $322.91 | 1 |
| NV | $344.70 | 1 |
| NY | $329.47–$407.50 | 5 |
| OH | $320.68 | 1 |
| OK | $313.69 | 1 |
| OR | $342.54–$376.35 | 2 |
| PA | $321.75–$359.11 | 2 |
| PR | $348.41 | 1 |
| RI | $355.19 | 1 |
| SC | $322.91 | 1 |
| SD | $341.60 | 1 |
| TN | $316.87 | 1 |
| TX | $319.38–$361.31 | 8 |
| UT | $327.73 | 1 |
| VA | $338.86–$399.60 | 2 |
| VI | $348.41 | 1 |
| VT | $339.72 | 1 |
| WA | $359.79–$411.62 | 2 |
| WI | $329.50 | 1 |
| WV | $310.58 | 1 |
| WY | $343.89 | 1 |
How the 10035 rate is calculated
Each of 10035’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 · 10035
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.66Practice expense 8.51Malpractice 0.17
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 10035
The CMS indicators that decide how 10035 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 10035
Soft-tissue localization
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is 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) | 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. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
10035 without 50 · national office
$345.37
Soft-tissue localization
10035-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$518.06
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).
10035 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
10035 vs 10036 vs 19285 vs 10005: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 10036Soft-tissue localization
- 10035 reports localization of the first soft-tissue lesion; 10036 reports each additional lesion.
- 19285Breast localization
- 19285 is the breast-specific code for percutaneous localization of a first lesion. Use 10035 for a soft-tissue target outside the breast localization code family.
- 10005Ultrasound-guided FNA
- 10005 reports ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration sampling of a lesion. 10035 places a localization marker and does not describe aspiration or tissue sampling.
10035 billing questions
When should 10035 be used instead of 10036?
Use 10035 for the first soft-tissue lesion localized during the service. Report 10036 for each additional lesion.
Can imaging guidance be billed separately?
Imaging guidance is included in 10035. Do not report separate guidance for the same marker placement.
Is 10035 appropriate for a breast lesion?
Breast localization has dedicated codes, including 19285 for the first lesion. Use the code family that applies to the breast localization service rather than 10035.
How is bilateral placement reported?
When the service is bilateral, report modifier 50. CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
What documentation supports 10035?
Document the target and anatomical site, the marker placed, and the imaging guidance used. The record should support that this was localization of the first lesion.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only with documentation of medical necessity. CMS does not permit co-surgeon or team-surgery payment for this code.
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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