Billing code 65210: Eye foreign body removalMedicare rate & RVUs
Report this service when an ophthalmologist removes a foreign body embedded in the conjunctiva, rather than a superficial conjunctival or corneal particle.
Medicare pays $38.08 for 65210 nationally in the office and $30.06 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $35.14–$48.61.
Medicare rate · 65210
Eye foreign body removal
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 0.59
- Total RVUs
- 1.14
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$38.08
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 65210 → · 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 65210 covers
This procedure removes material lodged within the conjunctiva, the membrane lining the eyelids and covering the white of the eye. The clinician may need to make an incision to free the embedded material; a loose particle resting on the surface is a different service. Ophthalmologists commonly perform the removal in an office or outpatient setting after identifying the foreign body and its location.
Choose this code based on the conjunctival site and embedded depth, not simply because an object was removed from the eye. Document the affected eye, the conjunctival location, evidence that the material was embedded, and the work performed to extract it. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and 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%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; 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 65210 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
$35.14 to $48.61
109 of 109 payment localities
65210 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.
$35.14
$48.61
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 | $48.61 | 1 |
| AL | $35.47 | 1 |
| AR | $35.14 | 1 |
| AZ | $37.39 | 1 |
| CA | $39.61–$47.46 | 29 |
| CO | $39.21 | 1 |
| CT | $40.02 | 1 |
| DC | $42.35 | 1 |
| DE | $37.87 | 1 |
| FL | $37.82–$40.32 | 3 |
| GA | $36.39–$38.62 | 2 |
| GU | $40.03 | 1 |
| HI | $40.03 | 1 |
| IA | $36.00 | 1 |
| ID | $36.16 | 1 |
| IL | $37.13–$39.60 | 4 |
| IN | $36.29 | 1 |
| KS | $35.91 | 1 |
| KY | $36.06 | 1 |
| LA | $36.04–$37.19 | 2 |
| MA | $39.11–$42.14 | 2 |
| MD | $38.40–$42.35 | 3 |
| ME | $36.31–$37.55 | 2 |
| MI | $36.70–$38.16 | 2 |
| MN | $37.88 | 1 |
| MO | $35.65–$37.25 | 3 |
| MS | $35.40 | 1 |
| MT | $38.08 | 1 |
| NC | $36.55 | 1 |
| ND | $37.48 | 1 |
| NE | $36.12 | 1 |
| NH | $38.66 | 1 |
| NJ | $40.56–$42.17 | 2 |
| NM | $36.84 | 1 |
| NV | $37.93 | 1 |
| NY | $36.91–$43.48 | 5 |
| OH | $36.57 | 1 |
| OK | $36.00 | 1 |
| OR | $37.71–$40.06 | 2 |
| PA | $36.60–$39.34 | 2 |
| PR | $38.25 | 1 |
| RI | $38.92 | 1 |
| SC | $36.61 | 1 |
| SD | $37.41 | 1 |
| TN | $36.03 | 1 |
| TX | $36.44–$39.01 | 8 |
| UT | $36.93 | 1 |
| VA | $37.49–$42.35 | 2 |
| VI | $38.25 | 1 |
| VT | $37.41 | 1 |
| WA | $39.01–$42.82 | 2 |
| WI | $36.65 | 1 |
| WV | $36.23 | 1 |
| WY | $37.82 | 1 |
How the 65210 rate is calculated
Each of 65210’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 · 65210
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.59Practice expense 0.52Malpractice 0.03
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 65210
The CMS indicators that decide how 65210 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 65210
Eye foreign body removal
| 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) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| 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
65210 without 50 · national office
$38.08
Eye foreign body removal
65210-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$57.12
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).
65210 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
65210 vs 65205 vs 65220 vs 65222: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 65205Eye foreign body removal
- 65205 is for a superficial conjunctival particle. Choose 65210 when the foreign body is embedded in conjunctival tissue.
- 65220Corneal removal
- 65220 addresses a corneal foreign body removed without slit-lamp assistance. Use 65210 for embedded conjunctival material.
- 65222Corneal removal
- 65222 addresses corneal foreign-body removal with slit-lamp assistance; it is not the code for an embedded conjunctival foreign body.
65210 billing questions
How is 65210 different from 65205?
Use 65210 when the foreign body is embedded in the conjunctiva and requires removal from within the tissue. Code 65205 is for a superficial conjunctival particle.
What if the foreign body is in the cornea?
Use the corneal foreign-body code that matches the service: 65220 or 65222. Code 65210 describes an embedded conjunctival foreign body, not a corneal one.
Does the 0-day global period include same-day care?
Yes. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the procedure's 0-day global period.
How is removal from both eyes paid?
Report bilateral performance with modifier 50. CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What documentation supports choosing 65210?
Record the affected eye, the conjunctival site, the embedded nature of the material, and how it was removed. These details distinguish the service from superficial conjunctival and corneal removal.
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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