Billing code 28193: Foreign body removalMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $511.03 for 28193 nationally in the office and $341.02 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $459.97–$657.11.

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 28193 covers

This code represents operative removal of a foreign object from the foot when the extraction is complicated. A podiatric or orthopedic surgeon may use surgical exposure and dissection to locate and remove an embedded object, such as a fragment that cannot be retrieved through a simple opening. The procedure may be performed in an office procedure room or an operating room, depending on the clinical circumstances and required exposure.

Select this level based on the documented complexity of the removal, not simply the fact that an object was present. The record should identify the foot site and foreign body, explain the operative approach and work needed to extract it, and describe the findings and closure. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur 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 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 28193 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

28193 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

How the 28193 rate is calculated

Each of 28193’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 28193

28193 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

28193 compared with similar codes

How to choose

28190Foot foreign body removal

28190 applies to subcutaneous foot foreign body removal. Choose 28193 when the operative removal is complicated, not merely because the object is in the foot.

28192Foot foreign body removal

28192 identifies deep foot foreign body removal. 28193 is distinguished by complicated removal work rather than depth alone.

10121Foreign body removal

10121 is for complicated removal from subcutaneous tissue outside the foot. Use the foot-specific family when the foreign body is in the foot.

Codes related to 28193

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

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates