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Billing code 65260: Eye foreign body removalMedicare rate & RVUs

Removal of an intraocular foreign body from the eye’s posterior segment using magnetic extraction, typically after penetrating trauma involving a metallic fragment.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $840.03 for 65260 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 65260

Eye foreign body removal

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
12.23
Total RVUs
25.15
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$840.03

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 65260 → · 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 65260 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 65260 covers

An ophthalmologist reports this service when an intraocular foreign body in the posterior segment is retrieved by magnetic extraction. A typical clinical situation is a metallic fragment that has entered the vitreous cavity or lodged near the retina after a penetrating eye injury. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room, with the operative report documenting the foreign body’s location and the magnetic retrieval method.

Select this code based on posterior-segment location and magnetic extraction, rather than simply on the presence of an eye foreign body. The record should distinguish the object from material in the cornea, conjunctiva, anterior chamber, or lens and describe the removal performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures 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%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; 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 65260 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

65260 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$775.87
Alaska*Unavailable$1,055.33
ArizonaUnavailable$822.92
ArkansasUnavailable$767.81
AtlantaUnavailable$854.28
AustinUnavailable$860.19
BakersfieldUnavailable$873.12
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$883.49
BeaumontUnavailable$801.82
BrazoriaUnavailable$832.44

65260 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
65260 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 65260 rate is calculated

Each of 65260’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 · 65260

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 12.23Practice expense 11.93Malpractice 0.99

25.1500 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$840.03

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 65260

65260 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 65260

Eye 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)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.70/0.20Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 65260

Eye 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.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned 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

65260 without 50 · national facility

$840.03

Eye foreign body removal

65260-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,260.05

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

65260 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

65260 vs 65265 vs 65235 vs 65222 vs 65205: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 65260
    Eye foreign body removal · 12.23 wRVU
    —
  • 65265
    Eye foreign body removal · 13.98 wRVU
    —
  • 65235
    Intraocular removal · 8.78 wRVU
    —
  • 65222
    Corneal removal · 0.82 wRVU
    $66.80
  • 65205
    Eye foreign body removal · 0.48 wRVU
    $28.06

How to choose

65265Eye foreign body removal
Both codes address posterior-segment foreign body removal; 65260 is selected for magnetic extraction, while 65265 is for nonmagnetic extraction.
65235Intraocular removal
65235 is for an object in the anterior chamber or lens. 65260 is for a posterior-segment object removed magnetically.
65222Corneal removal
65222 concerns a corneal foreign body removed with slit-lamp magnification, not an intraocular object in the posterior segment.
65205Eye foreign body removal
65205 is for a superficial conjunctival foreign body; 65260 requires posterior-segment intraocular removal by magnetic extraction.

Codes related to 65260

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

Codes related to 65260
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
65265Eye foreign body removalPosterior-segment foreign body removal by nonmagnetic extraction.No office rate
65235Intraocular removalIntraocular foreign body removal from the anterior chamber or lens.No office rate
Used instead
65222Corneal removalRemoval of a corneal foreign body using slit-lamp magnification.$60.78–$86.02
65220Corneal removalRemoval of a corneal foreign body without slit-lamp magnification.$57.30–$82.10
65205Eye foreign body removalRemoval of a superficial foreign body from the conjunctiva.$26.13–$36.51

65260 billing questions

How does 65260 differ from 65265?

Both concern a foreign body in the posterior segment. Use 65260 when magnetic extraction is performed; 65265 is the neighboring code for nonmagnetic extraction.

When is 65235 a better fit?

65235 describes removal from the anterior chamber or lens. Use 65260 for posterior-segment removal by magnetic extraction.

Does a metallic foreign body automatically support 65260?

No. The documentation should establish that the object is in the posterior segment and that magnetic extraction was used.

What does the 90-day global period include?

It includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

Can an assistant surgeon be reported?

CMS indicates that an assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.

How is bilateral reporting handled?

When the procedure is performed bilaterally, modifier 50 is paid at 150% under the CMS rule provided for this code.

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 65260PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 7,308 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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