Billing code 41017: Lesion drainageMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $478.97 for 41017 nationally in the office and $321.32 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $424.38–$628.68.

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

What 41017 covers

This procedure drains an abscess, cyst, or hematoma in the floor of the mouth through an incision made from inside the oral cavity. The target is the tissue beneath the tongue, rather than a lesion in the tongue itself or the cheek-side vestibule. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons and otolaryngologists may perform it, commonly in a surgical setting; the operative note should identify the floor-of-mouth location and describe the intraoral approach and drainage performed.

Select this code based on both the lesion’s anatomic site and the route used. The record should support that the treated lesion was in the floor of the mouth and accessed intraorally. Medicare treats the service as major surgery with a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. An assistant at surgery is paid only when medical necessity is documented; 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 41017 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

41017 rates by state

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

How the 41017 rate is calculated

Each of 41017’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 41017

41017 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 51

41017 compared with similar codes

How to choose

41018Abscess drainage

Use 41017 for an intraoral route to a floor-of-mouth lesion; 41018 describes the extraoral route to that region.

41015Mouth lesion drainage

41015 is for intraoral drainage of a tongue lesion. A lesion beneath the tongue in the floor of the mouth supports 41017 instead.

41005Oral drainage

41005 is for intraoral drainage in the vestibule of the mouth, not the floor of the mouth beneath the tongue.

Codes related to 41017

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