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Billing code 25248: Foreign body removalMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical removal of a retained foreign object embedded deep in forearm or wrist tissues, such as after a penetrating injury.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities146 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $408.16 for 25248 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 25248

Foreign body removal

Work RVUs
5.18
Total RVUs
12.22
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$408.16

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 25248 →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
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 25248 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 25248 covers

An orthopedic or hand surgeon uses surgical exposure to locate and remove a retained object embedded in the deeper tissues of the forearm or wrist. Typical cases involve an object left after a penetrating injury, such as a fragment of glass or metal that cannot be retrieved as a superficial splinter. The service may be performed in an operating room or another appropriate surgical setting.

Select this code when the documented site is the forearm or wrist and the foreign body is deep; distinguish it from removal limited to subcutaneous tissue or from removal specifically within muscle or a tendon sheath. The operative report should identify the location and depth, the exploration and removal performed, and the object retrieved. This major surgery includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. In a same-session multiple-procedure claim, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 for bilateral surgery is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; 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 25248 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

25248 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$367.21
Alaska*Unavailable$490.72
ArizonaUnavailable$396.64
ArkansasUnavailable$362.14
AtlantaUnavailable$419.36
AustinUnavailable$415.71
BakersfieldUnavailable$415.80
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$434.23
BeaumontUnavailable$387.71
BrazoriaUnavailable$399.53

25248 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.

View every state and territory as a table
25248 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 25248 rate is calculated

Each of 25248’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 · 25248

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work5.18

5.18 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense5.92

5.92 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.12

1.12 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

12.2200

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$408.16

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 25248

25248 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 25248

Foreign body removal

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.69/0.21Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 25248

Foreign body removal

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

25248 without 50 · national facility

$408.16

Foreign body removal

25248-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$612.24

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).

When to use modifier 50

25248 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

  • 25248

    Foreign body removal5.18 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 10121

    Foreign body removal2.67 wRVU

    $275.22

  • 20525

    Foreign body removal3.45 wRVU

    $497.01

  • 10120

    Foreign body removal1.19 wRVU

    $157.32

How to choose

10121Foreign body removal
Choose 10121 for complicated removal from subcutaneous tissue. Choose 25248 when the foreign body is embedded deep in the forearm or wrist.
20525Foreign body removal
20525 describes deep or complicated removal from muscle or a tendon sheath. 25248 is selected for a deep forearm or wrist foreign body when that specific tissue location does not define the service.
10120Foreign body removal
10120 is for simple removal from subcutaneous tissue; 25248 is for a foreign body embedded deep in the forearm or wrist.

Codes related to 25248

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

Codes related to 25248
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
10120Foreign body removalFor simple foreign-body removal from subcutaneous tissue rather than deep forearm or wrist tissue.$139.13–$209.42
10121Foreign body removalFor complicated removal from subcutaneous tissue when the object is not deep in the forearm or wrist.$244.63–$355.77
20520Foreign body removalFor simple removal of a foreign body specifically in muscle or a tendon sheath.$203.01–$302.68
20525Foreign body removalFor deep or complicated removal of a foreign body in muscle or a tendon sheath.$435.59–$658.45

25248 billing questions

How does 25248 differ from 10121?

25248 is for a foreign body embedded deep in the forearm or wrist. 10121 is for complicated removal from subcutaneous tissue.

When should 20525 be considered instead?

Use 20525 when the foreign body is removed from muscle or a tendon sheath and the removal is deep or complicated. For 25248, the defining site is the deep forearm or wrist rather than a specified muscle or tendon sheath.

What should the operative note document?

Document the forearm or wrist location, the object's depth, the surgical exploration and removal, and the foreign body retrieved. The findings should support that the object was deep rather than confined to subcutaneous tissue.

How is bilateral removal reported under the CMS facts?

For bilateral procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%.

Does the surgeon receive separate payment for related postoperative care?

The major-surgery global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

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
RVUs for 25248PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,414 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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