Billing code 68340: Adhesion releaseMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $622.26 for 68340 nationally in the office and $356.39 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $549.78–$823.54.

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

What 68340 covers

This procedure releases abnormal scar tissue or other adhesions that bind eyelid structures together, including fusion at the lid margins. A typical clinical situation is acquired or congenital ankyloblepharon, where adhesions restrict opening or separation of the lids. An ophthalmologist, often an oculoplastic surgeon, performs the release in an operative setting; Medicare records services in both office and facility settings.

Report the code when the operative work is directed at separating eyelid adhesions, rather than reconstructing damaged eyelid lining. The note should identify the affected eyelid or lids, the location and extent of the adhesion, the functional or anatomic problem, and the release performed. 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 one 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 requires documented medical necessity; 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 68340 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

68340 rates by state

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

How the 68340 rate is calculated

Each of 68340’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 68340

68340 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

68340 compared with similar codes

How to choose

68320Conjunctivoplasty

Choose 68340 for division of eyelid adhesions. Choose 68320 when the principal work is revision or reconstruction of eyelid lining.

68325Conjunctivoplasty

68340 addresses adhesion release; 68325 is associated with eyelid-lining revision or graft work. Base selection on the work actually performed.

68330Symblepharon repair

Use 68330 for eyelid-lining revision rather than a procedure whose primary purpose is separating an eyelid adhesion.

Codes related to 68340

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