Billing code 20700: Drug-delivery deviceMedicare rate & RVUs
Reports hand preparation and deep placement of a drug-delivery device, such as antibiotic beads, during operative treatment of musculoskeletal infection.
Medicare pays $84.84 for 20700 nationally in the office and $70.81 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $76.76–$107.10.
Medicare rate · 20700
Drug-delivery device
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 1.46
- Total RVUs
- 2.54
- Global days
- ZZZ
National rate · 2026
$84.84
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 20700 → · 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 20700 covers
This service covers manually preparing a drug-delivery device and placing it deep, such as beneath fascia, to treat a musculoskeletal infection. Examples include antibiotic-impregnated beads or a spacer placed in a deep operative site. Orthopedic surgeons commonly perform the work during surgery for infected bone or surrounding musculoskeletal tissues in a hospital or ambulatory surgery facility. Placement in the intramedullary canal or directly within a joint belongs to a different code in this family.
Select the code according to the device’s placement site, not the infection’s severity or the number of devices. The operative report should support the infection being treated, manual preparation of the device, its deep placement, and the primary procedure performed. Report 20700 only with a primary procedure; CMS treats it as an add-on and pays it 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 20700 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
$76.76 to $107.10
109 of 109 payment localities
20700 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.
$76.76
$107.10
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 | $107.10 | 1 |
| AL | $77.65 | 1 |
| AR | $76.76 | 1 |
| AZ | $82.74 | 1 |
| CA | $84.27–$98.28 | 29 |
| CO | $85.27 | 1 |
| CT | $89.75 | 1 |
| DC | $93.33 | 1 |
| DE | $83.88 | 1 |
| FL | $88.00–$99.24 | 3 |
| GA | $83.55–$87.17 | 2 |
| GU | $84.93 | 1 |
| HI | $84.93 | 1 |
| IA | $77.27 | 1 |
| ID | $78.07 | 1 |
| IL | $87.34–$96.56 | 4 |
| IN | $78.38 | 1 |
| KS | $77.90 | 1 |
| KY | $81.06 | 1 |
| LA | $81.32–$84.40 | 2 |
| MA | $85.31–$91.20 | 2 |
| MD | $84.94–$93.33 | 3 |
| ME | $79.36–$81.39 | 2 |
| MI | $83.58–$89.84 | 2 |
| MN | $79.52 | 1 |
| MO | $80.83–$83.54 | 3 |
| MS | $78.76 | 1 |
| MT | $84.82 | 1 |
| NC | $79.87 | 1 |
| ND | $79.68 | 1 |
| NE | $77.33 | 1 |
| NH | $84.88 | 1 |
| NJ | $90.15–$92.88 | 2 |
| NM | $84.31 | 1 |
| NV | $83.42 | 1 |
| NY | $80.89–$100.58 | 5 |
| OH | $82.52 | 1 |
| OK | $79.97 | 1 |
| OR | $82.15–$86.44 | 2 |
| PA | $82.11–$88.52 | 2 |
| PR | $85.01 | 1 |
| RI | $85.73 | 1 |
| SC | $81.45 | 1 |
| SD | $79.07 | 1 |
| TN | $78.33 | 1 |
| TX | $81.76–$88.30 | 8 |
| UT | $82.31 | 1 |
| VA | $81.82–$93.33 | 2 |
| VI | $85.01 | 1 |
| VT | $80.27 | 1 |
| WA | $84.85–$91.90 | 2 |
| WI | $77.68 | 1 |
| WV | $84.99 | 1 |
| WY | $82.58 | 1 |
How the 20700 rate is calculated
Each of 20700’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 · 20700
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.46Practice expense 0.82Malpractice 0.26
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 20700
The CMS indicators that decide how 20700 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 20700
Drug-delivery device
| 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. |
20700 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
20700 vs 20702 vs 20704 vs 20701: national Medicare rates
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How to choose
- 20702Drug delivery
- Choose 20702 when the prepared device is placed in the intramedullary canal. Use 20700 for deep placement outside that canal, such as subfascial placement.
- 20704Drug device placement
- Choose 20704 when the device is placed within a joint. Use 20700 for deep placement outside the joint cavity.
- 20701Device removal
- 20701 describes removal of a deep drug-delivery device. 20700 describes manual preparation and insertion.
20700 billing questions
How does 20700 differ from 20702 and 20704?
20700 is for deep placement, such as subfascial placement. Use 20702 for intramedullary placement and 20704 for intra-articular placement.
Can 20700 be reported by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be billed with a primary procedure.
What should the operative note document?
Document the musculoskeletal infection, manual preparation of the drug-delivery device, its deep placement site, and the primary procedure.
Is device removal included in 20700?
20700 describes preparation and insertion. The corresponding deep-device removal service is reported with 20701 when removal is performed.
How does Medicare treat 20700 during the primary procedure's global period?
CMS pays this add-on code within the global period of the primary procedure with which it is billed.
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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