Billing code 92020: GonioscopyMedicare rate & RVUs
Gonioscopy uses a contact lens to examine the anterior chamber angle when assessing glaucoma, suspected angle closure, or injury to the drainage angle.
Medicare pays $26.72 for 92020 nationally in the office and $16.37 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $24.53–$34.24.
Medicare rate · 92020
Gonioscopy
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
- Work RVUs
- 0.36
- Total RVUs
- 0.80
- Global days
- XXX
National rate · 2026
$26.72
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 92020 → · 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 92020 covers
Gonioscopy lets the examiner see the drainage angle where the iris meets the cornea, which cannot be viewed directly during a routine slit-lamp examination. An ophthalmologist or optometrist typically places a goniolens on the eye after topical anesthesia and assesses angle width and features such as trabecular pigmentation, peripheral anterior synechiae, neovascularization, or angle recession. Common indications include glaucoma evaluation, narrow angles, pigment dispersion, and blunt ocular trauma. The examination is often performed in an office or outpatient eye clinic.
Report gonioscopy in addition to an eye exam or E/M visit when a diagnostic angle examination is medically necessary and performed. Documentation should identify the indication, eye or eyes examined, angle findings, and clinical interpretation; an angle grade and findings by quadrant can add useful detail. CMS prices 92020 as bilateral, so report one unit for examination of one or both eyes; modifier 50 does not increase payment. Viewing the angle solely to guide laser trabeculoplasty is part of that procedure, not a separate diagnostic gonioscopy.
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 92020 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
$24.53 to $34.24
109 of 109 payment localities
92020 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.
$24.53
$33.52
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 | $33.52 | 1 |
| AL | $24.78 | 1 |
| AR | $24.53 | 1 |
| AZ | $26.23 | 1 |
| CA | $28.15–$34.24 | 29 |
| CO | $27.71 | 1 |
| CT | $28.14 | 1 |
| DC | $29.96 | 1 |
| DE | $26.57 | 1 |
| FL | $26.26–$27.82 | 3 |
| GA | $25.23–$27.05 | 2 |
| GU | $28.55 | 1 |
| HI | $28.55 | 1 |
| IA | $25.30 | 1 |
| ID | $25.40 | 1 |
| IL | $25.66–$27.45 | 4 |
| IN | $25.50 | 1 |
| KS | $25.18 | 1 |
| KY | $25.10 | 1 |
| LA | $25.06–$25.92 | 2 |
| MA | $27.61–$29.96 | 2 |
| MD | $26.99–$29.96 | 3 |
| ME | $25.45–$26.47 | 2 |
| MI | $25.51–$26.45 | 2 |
| MN | $26.90 | 1 |
| MO | $24.73–$26.03 | 3 |
| MS | $24.64 | 1 |
| MT | $26.72 | 1 |
| NC | $25.64 | 1 |
| ND | $26.52 | 1 |
| NE | $25.41 | 1 |
| NH | $27.27 | 1 |
| NJ | $28.56–$29.80 | 2 |
| NM | $25.60 | 1 |
| NV | $26.68 | 1 |
| NY | $25.90–$30.49 | 5 |
| OH | $25.47 | 1 |
| OK | $25.11 | 1 |
| OR | $26.56–$28.42 | 2 |
| PA | $25.52–$27.59 | 2 |
| PR | $26.87 | 1 |
| RI | $27.39 | 1 |
| SC | $25.58 | 1 |
| SD | $26.50 | 1 |
| TN | $25.26 | 1 |
| TX | $25.40–$27.54 | 8 |
| UT | $25.82 | 1 |
| VA | $26.38–$29.96 | 2 |
| VI | $26.87 | 1 |
| VT | $26.41 | 1 |
| WA | $27.56–$30.52 | 2 |
| WI | $25.89 | 1 |
| WV | $24.98 | 1 |
| WY | $26.63 | 1 |
How the 92020 rate is calculated
Each of 92020’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 · 92020
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.36Practice expense 0.43Malpractice 0.01
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 92020
The CMS indicators that decide how 92020 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 92020
Gonioscopy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | XXX | The global surgery concept doesn’t apply. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 2 | Already bilateral by definition: paid once at 100%. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
92020 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
92020 vs 92014 vs 92018 vs 65855 vs 92083: national Medicare rates
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How to choose
- 92014Comprehensive eye exam
- 92014 is a comprehensive established-patient eye exam that includes routine slit-lamp examination. Use 92020 for a separately performed, medically necessary examination of the drainage angle with a goniolens.
- 92018Eye examination
- 92018 describes a complete ophthalmological examination under general anesthesia. Code 92020 identifies a diagnostic examination of the anterior chamber angle, rather than the complete examination.
- 65855Laser trabeculoplasty
- 65855 is laser trabeculoplasty, which treats the drainage angle. Viewing the angle solely to guide that treatment is part of the procedure, not a separate diagnostic gonioscopy.
- 92083Visual field exam
- 92083 assesses visual field function, while 92020 examines angle anatomy. Both may be reported when each medically necessary service is performed and documented.
92020 billing questions
Should gonioscopy be billed twice or with modifier 50 when both eyes are examined?
No. CMS already prices 92020 as bilateral. Report one unit for examination of one or both eyes; modifier 50 does not increase payment.
Is gonioscopy included in a comprehensive or intermediate eye exam?
The routine examination reported with 92004, 92014, 92002, or 92012 is different from a diagnostic angle examination with a goniolens. Report 92020 separately when the gonioscopy is medically necessary, performed, and documented.
Can gonioscopy be billed on the same day as laser trabeculoplasty or iridotomy?
Using a goniolens solely to guide the laser treatment is part of that procedure, not a separately billable gonioscopy. A distinct diagnostic angle examination requires its own medical necessity and findings.
What documentation supports gonioscopy?
Record the indication, eye or eyes examined, angle findings, and clinical interpretation. An angle grade and details such as synechiae, pigment, or neovascularization help describe the findings.
Which conditions commonly prompt diagnostic gonioscopy?
Examples include suspected or established glaucoma, narrow or potentially occludable angles, pigment dispersion, neovascular glaucoma, and suspected angle recession after trauma. The documented reason for examining the angle should support the service.
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
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