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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01

20610 in El Centro

Office / nonfacility

$70.97

Base rate per service

Facility setting

$39.12

Base rate per service

Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.

Musculoskeletal procedure

About 20610: Major joint or bursa aspiration or injection without ultrasound

Needle aspiration of fluid from, or injection of medication into, a large joint or bursa such as the knee, shoulder, or hip, performed without ultrasound guidance.

Code 20610 covers needle aspiration, injection, or both in a major joint or bursa, including the knee, glenohumeral joint, hip, subacromial bursa, and trochanteric bursa. A clinician may drain a knee effusion for cell count or crystal testing or inject medication into a painful joint or bursa. Orthopedists, rheumatologists, sports medicine and primary care clinicians, and advanced practice providers commonly perform it in offices. They may use palpable landmarks or separately reportable non-ultrasound imaging guidance.

Report one unit for each distinct major joint or bursa treated in a session; aspiration followed by injection of the same site remains one unit. Document the target and side, procedure performed, aspirated fluid when applicable, and injected drug and dose. Report separately payable, provider-supplied drugs with the appropriate HCPCS code and administered units. CMS assigns a 0-day global period that includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care; a significant, separately identifiable E/M requires modifier 25 on the E/M code. For multiple procedures in one session, CMS pays the highest-valued in full and others at 50%; bilateral procedures reported with modifier 50 pay at 150%. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery or permit co-surgeons or team surgery for this code.

CMS billing rules for 20610

Global period
Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included.
Multiple procedures
Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
Bilateral procedures
Bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
Assistant at surgery
Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
Co-surgeons
Co-surgeons not permitted.
Team surgery
Team surgery not permitted.

Where the value comes from

  • Work RVU0.77 · 37%
  • Practice expense (office) RVU1.16 · 56%
  • Malpractice RVU0.13 · 6%

4.8M

Medicare services in 2024 · #45 by national volume

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.

20610 compared with similar codes

Office rates for El Centro, from the same CMS release.

20611

Joint aspiration/injection

Ultrasound-guided major joint or bursa

$108.80

Choose 20611 when ultrasound guidance is used and images are permanently recorded with a written report. A procedure performed without ultrasound, or without the required ultrasound documentation, is reported with 20610.

20605

Joint procedure

Intermediate joint, no ultrasound

$59.37

Site size decides the code. Knee, shoulder, hip, and their major bursae are 20610; wrist, elbow, ankle, and olecranon bursa are 20605.

20612

Ganglion treatment

Aspiration and/or injection

$70.85

20612 is for aspirating or injecting a ganglion cyst, typically at the wrist or foot, rather than entering a joint space or bursa.

20552

Trigger point injection

One or two muscles

$53.76

20552 describes trigger point injections into one or two muscles; 20610 requires treatment of a major joint or bursa.

The same code, a different location

How does El Centro compare?

In Bakersfield, the office rate for 20610 is $71.32—$0.35 higher than the $70.97 rate in El Centro. Both use the same code, release and participation basis.

20610 across payment areas

Same release and payment basis · bars start at $0

  1. El Centro · This locality

    $70.97

  2. Bakersfield

    $71.32

    $0.35 higher than El Centro

  3. Chico

    $70.95

    $0.02 lower than El Centro

  4. Fresno

    $70.95

    $0.02 lower than El Centro

  5. Hanford-Corcoran

    $70.95

    $0.02 lower than El Centro

  6. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty)

    $75.49

    $4.52 higher than El Centro

  7. Madera

    $70.95

    $0.02 lower than El Centro

Other payment areas listed in California appear first, followed by selected cross-country examples. The chart compares amounts, not distance.

Across 109 of 109 CMS payment localities with a supported office rate, 20610 ranges from $61.24 in Arkansas to $86.75 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty). This is a geographic range, not an average.

The code’s RVUs stay the same in these comparisons. Geographic adjustments to work, practice expense and malpractice change the dollar amount. A city name alone may not identify the payment area for a service address.

Compare all 108 other payment areas

  • Merced

    California · 20610

    Office

    $70.95

    Facility

    $39.10

    $0.02 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Modesto

    California · 20610

    Office

    $70.95

    Facility

    $39.10

    $0.02 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Napa

    California · 20610

    Office

    $80.61

    Facility

    $42.31

    $9.64 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura

    California · 20610

    Office

    $74.94

    Facility

    $40.59

    $3.97 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Redding

    California · 20610

    Office

    $70.95

    Facility

    $39.10

    $0.02 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of California

    California · 20610

    Office

    $70.95

    Facility

    $39.10

    $0.02 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario

    California · 20610

    Office

    $72.35

    Facility

    $40.50

    $1.38 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom

    California · 20610

    Office

    $74.03

    Facility

    $40.24

    $3.06 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Salinas

    California · 20610

    Office

    $73.75

    Facility

    $40.07

    $2.78 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad

    California · 20610

    Office

    $75.18

    Facility

    $40.43

    $4.21 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty)

    California · 20610

    Office

    $84.79

    Facility

    $43.81

    $13.82 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty)

    California · 20610

    Office

    $84.64

    Facility

    $43.66

    $13.67 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)

    California · 20610

    Office

    $86.75

    Facility

    $44.84

    $15.78 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty)

    California · 20610

    Office

    $86.14

    Facility

    $44.24

    $15.17 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles

    California · 20610

    Office

    $72.61

    Facility

    $39.52

    $1.64 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Santa Cruz-Watsonville

    California · 20610

    Office

    $75.66

    Facility

    $40.35

    $4.69 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Santa Maria-Santa Barbara

    California · 20610

    Office

    $73.94

    Facility

    $40.06

    $2.97 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Santa Rosa-Petaluma

    California · 20610

    Office

    $76.40

    Facility

    $40.71

    $5.43 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Stockton

    California · 20610

    Office

    $70.95

    Facility

    $39.10

    $0.02 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Vallejo

    California · 20610

    Office

    $80.40

    Facility

    $42.10

    $9.43 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Visalia

    California · 20610

    Office

    $70.95

    Facility

    $39.10

    $0.02 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Yuba City

    California · 20610

    Office

    $70.95

    Facility

    $39.10

    $0.02 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Dc + Md/Va Suburbs

    District of Columbia · 20610

    Office

    $77.58

    Facility

    $43.35

    $6.61 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Miami

    Florida · 20610

    Office

    $77.03

    Facility

    $46.78

    $6.06 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Chicago

    Illinois · 20610

    Office

    $74.80

    Facility

    $45.60

    $3.83 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Manhattan

    New York · 20610

    Office

    $79.27

    Facility

    $45.51

    $8.30 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Alaska*

    Alaska · 20610

    Office

    $82.23

    Facility

    $51.29

    $11.26 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Alabama

    Alabama · 20610

    Office

    $62.08

    Facility

    $36.65

    $8.89 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Arkansas

    Arkansas · 20610

    Office

    $61.24

    Facility

    $36.28

    $9.73 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Arizona

    Arizona · 20610

    Office

    $66.98

    Facility

    $38.82

    $3.99 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Colorado

    Colorado · 20610

    Office

    $70.64

    Facility

    $39.72

    $0.33 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Connecticut

    Connecticut · 20610

    Office

    $73.22

    Facility

    $41.92

    $2.25 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Delaware

    Delaware · 20610

    Office

    $68.03

    Facility

    $39.32

    $2.94 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Fort Lauderdale

    Florida · 20610

    Office

    $72.82

    Facility

    $43.38

    $1.85 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Florida

    Florida · 20610

    Office

    $69.29

    Facility

    $41.50

    $1.68 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Atlanta

    Georgia · 20610

    Office

    $70.38

    Facility

    $40.85

    $0.59 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Georgia

    Georgia · 20610

    Office

    $65.46

    Facility

    $39.53

    $5.51 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Hawaii, Guam

    Hawaii · 20610

    Office

    $72.29

    Facility

    $39.25

    $1.32 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Iowa

    Iowa · 20610

    Office

    $62.89

    Facility

    $36.31

    $8.08 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Idaho

    Idaho · 20610

    Office

    $63.42

    Facility

    $36.68

    $7.55 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • East St. Louis

    Illinois · 20610

    Office

    $70.11

    Facility

    $43.38

    $0.86 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Illinois

    Illinois · 20610

    Office

    $67.88

    Facility

    $41.35

    $3.09 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Suburban Chicago

    Illinois · 20610

    Office

    $73.38

    Facility

    $43.54

    $2.41 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Indiana

    Indiana · 20610

    Office

    $63.75

    Facility

    $36.81

    $7.22 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Kansas

    Kansas · 20610

    Office

    $62.93

    Facility

    $36.66

    $8.04 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Kentucky

    Kentucky · 20610

    Office

    $64.14

    Facility

    $38.30

    $6.83 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • New Orleans

    Louisiana · 20610

    Office

    $67.11

    Facility

    $39.77

    $3.86 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Louisiana

    Louisiana · 20610

    Office

    $64.17

    Facility

    $38.45

    $6.80 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Metropolitan Boston

    Massachusetts · 20610

    Office

    $76.90

    Facility

    $42.20

    $5.93 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Massachusetts

    Massachusetts · 20610

    Office

    $70.39

    Facility

    $39.79

    $0.58 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Baltimore/Surr. Cntys

    Maryland · 20610

    Office

    $73.07

    Facility

    $41.89

    $2.10 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Maryland

    Maryland · 20610

    Office

    $69.17

    Facility

    $39.76

    $1.80 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Maine

    Maine · 20610

    Office

    $64.06

    Facility

    $37.33

    $6.91 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Southern Maine

    Maine · 20610

    Office

    $66.85

    Facility

    $38.06

    $4.12 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Detroit

    Michigan · 20610

    Office

    $70.43

    Facility

    $42.39

    $0.54 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Michigan

    Michigan · 20610

    Office

    $66.00

    Facility

    $39.46

    $4.97 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Minnesota

    Minnesota · 20610

    Office

    $66.87

    Facility

    $36.97

    $4.10 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Metropolitan Kansas City

    Missouri · 20610

    Office

    $66.34

    Facility

    $39.06

    $4.63 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Metropolitan St. Louis

    Missouri · 20610

    Office

    $66.95

    Facility

    $39.29

    $4.02 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Missouri

    Missouri · 20610

    Office

    $63.35

    Facility

    $38.30

    $7.62 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Mississippi

    Mississippi · 20610

    Office

    $62.29

    Facility

    $37.27

    $8.68 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Montana**

    Montana · 20610

    Office

    $68.80

    Facility

    $39.74

    $2.17 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • North Carolina

    North Carolina · 20610

    Office

    $64.64

    Facility

    $37.53

    $6.33 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • North Dakota**

    North Dakota · 20610

    Office

    $66.23

    Facility

    $37.17

    $4.74 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Nebraska

    Nebraska · 20610

    Office

    $63.12

    Facility

    $36.30

    $7.85 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • New Hampshire

    New Hampshire · 20610

    Office

    $69.85

    Facility

    $39.60

    $1.12 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Northern Nj

    New Jersey · 20610

    Office

    $76.92

    Facility

    $43.21

    $5.95 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of New Jersey

    New Jersey · 20610

    Office

    $73.82

    Facility

    $42.09

    $2.85 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • New Mexico

    New Mexico · 20610

    Office

    $66.46

    Facility

    $39.82

    $4.51 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Nevada**

    Nevada · 20610

    Office

    $68.12

    Facility

    $39.03

    $2.85 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Nyc Suburbs/Long Island

    New York · 20610

    Office

    $81.50

    Facility

    $46.94

    $10.53 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Poughkpsie/N Nyc Suburbs

    New York · 20610

    Office

    $74.56

    Facility

    $42.74

    $3.59 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Queens

    New York · 20610

    Office

    $79.42

    Facility

    $45.08

    $8.45 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of New York

    New York · 20610

    Office

    $65.58

    Facility

    $37.97

    $5.39 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Ohio

    Ohio · 20610

    Office

    $65.47

    Facility

    $38.94

    $5.50 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Oklahoma

    Oklahoma · 20610

    Office

    $63.69

    Facility

    $37.74

    $7.28 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Portland

    Oregon · 20610

    Office

    $72.41

    Facility

    $40.12

    $1.44 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Oregon

    Oregon · 20610

    Office

    $67.36

    Facility

    $38.42

    $3.61 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Metropolitan Philadelphia

    Pennsylvania · 20610

    Office

    $71.70

    Facility

    $41.45

    $0.73 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Pennsylvania

    Pennsylvania · 20610

    Office

    $65.39

    Facility

    $38.71

    $5.58 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Puerto Rico

    Puerto Rico · 20610

    Office

    $69.17

    Facility

    $39.79

    $1.80 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rhode Island

    Rhode Island · 20610

    Office

    $70.10

    Facility

    $40.09

    $0.87 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • South Carolina

    South Carolina · 20610

    Office

    $65.21

    Facility

    $38.36

    $5.76 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • South Dakota**

    South Dakota · 20610

    Office

    $65.92

    Facility

    $36.86

    $5.05 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Tennessee

    Tennessee · 20610

    Office

    $63.27

    Facility

    $36.86

    $7.70 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Austin

    Texas · 20610

    Office

    $70.61

    Facility

    $39.87

    $0.36 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Beaumont

    Texas · 20610

    Office

    $65.01

    Facility

    $38.57

    $5.96 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Brazoria

    Texas · 20610

    Office

    $67.71

    Facility

    $38.91

    $3.26 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Dallas

    Texas · 20610

    Office

    $68.27

    Facility

    $39.32

    $2.70 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Fort Worth

    Texas · 20610

    Office

    $67.93

    Facility

    $39.28

    $3.04 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Galveston

    Texas · 20610

    Office

    $67.99

    Facility

    $39.14

    $2.98 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Houston

    Texas · 20610

    Office

    $70.37

    Facility

    $41.52

    $0.60 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Texas

    Texas · 20610

    Office

    $66.41

    Facility

    $38.83

    $4.56 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Utah

    Utah · 20610

    Office

    $66.04

    Facility

    $38.72

    $4.93 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Virginia

    Virginia · 20610

    Office

    $66.87

    Facility

    $38.31

    $4.10 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Virgin Islands

    United States Virgin Islands · 20610

    Office

    $69.17

    Facility

    $39.79

    $1.80 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Vermont

    Vermont · 20610

    Office

    $66.27

    Facility

    $37.51

    $4.70 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Rest Of Washington

    Washington · 20610

    Office

    $70.16

    Facility

    $39.56

    $0.81 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Seattle (King Cnty)

    Washington · 20610

    Office

    $78.09

    Facility

    $42.44

    $7.12 higher than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Wisconsin

    Wisconsin · 20610

    Office

    $64.17

    Facility

    $36.34

    $6.80 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • West Virginia

    West Virginia · 20610

    Office

    $65.60

    Facility

    $40.35

    $5.37 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

  • Wyoming**

    Wyoming · 20610

    Office

    $67.68

    Facility

    $38.62

    $3.29 lower than El Centro for the office setting.

See how rates vary across the country

20610 · Office / nonfacility · Non-QP. Choose a state to explore its payment localities. A range means the amount varies within that state.

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

$61.24

$82.23

Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.

View all state and territory rates as a table
State / territoryRate rangeLocalities
AK$82.231
AL$62.081
AR$61.241
AZ$66.981
CA$70.95–$86.7529
CO$70.641
CT$73.221
DC$77.581
DE$68.031
FL$69.29–$77.033
GA$65.46–$70.382
GU$72.291
HI$72.291
IA$62.891
ID$63.421
IL$67.88–$74.804
IN$63.751
KS$62.931
KY$64.141
LA$64.17–$67.112
MA$70.39–$76.902
MD$69.17–$77.583
ME$64.06–$66.852
MI$66.00–$70.432
MN$66.871
MO$63.35–$66.953
MS$62.291
MT$68.801
NC$64.641
ND$66.231
NE$63.121
NH$69.851
NJ$73.82–$76.922
NM$66.461
NV$68.121
NY$65.58–$81.505
OH$65.471
OK$63.691
OR$67.36–$72.412
PA$65.39–$71.702
PR$69.171
RI$70.101
SC$65.211
SD$65.921
TN$63.271
TX$65.01–$70.618
UT$66.041
VA$66.87–$77.582
VI$69.171
VT$66.271
WA$70.16–$78.092
WI$64.171
WV$65.601
WY$67.681

Explore 20610 on the national rate map →

Where does this rate apply?

El Centro is a Medicare payment area. Our Census mapping connects it to 18 cities and communities in California, including the examples shown here.

Some communities span more than one payment area. Follow a city link to compare all of its mapped areas, or check the service-location ZIP above for an address-level starting point.

Browse all communities in California →

Why are the office and facility amounts different?

For 20610 in El Centro, the physician’s office rate is $70.97 and the facility-setting rate is $39.12: a difference of $31.85.

The calculation uses a different practice-expense RVU for each setting. Both amounts here are physician fee-schedule amounts. The facility figure does not include a hospital’s separate charges, so this comparison does not tell you the total cost of receiving care in each setting.

See the inputs behind this difference →

Use this rate

What is a percentage of Medicare worth?

Turn a percentage into dollars for 20610 in El Centro. This uses the base rate on this page, so the locality and release stay consistent.

Reference amount per service

$78.07

$70.97 × 110% = $78.07

A contract may specify another Medicare year or additional adjustments. This is percentage arithmetic on the displayed base rate, not a claim adjudication.

Working with a whole code list?

Compare an offer across your annual code mix, including an older Medicare schedule or flat per-code rates.

Compare your contract offer →

How this local rate is calculated

Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 20610 in El Centro.

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

1,771

Code
20610
Physician work
0.77
Practice expense
1.16
Malpractice
0.13

GPCI2026.csv

10

Locality
El Centro
Physician work
1.017
Practice expense
1.096
Malpractice
0.541
Office / nonfacility calculation for 20610 in El Centro
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work0.77× 1.0170.7831
Practice expense1.16× 1.0961.2714
Malpractice0.13× 0.5410.0703
Total RVUs2.1248
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Office / nonfacility rate, El Centro$70.97

Values as parsed from CMS release RVU26D, effective 2026-10-01. The amount is rounded to the nearest cent only at the end.

Open 20610 in the RVU calculator →

Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula

Office / nonfacility

Office / nonfacility calculation inputs
ComponentRVULocal GPCI
Work0.771.017
Practice expense1.161.096
Malpractice0.130.541

(0.77 × 1.017 + 1.16 × 1.096 + 0.13 × 0.541) × $33.4009 = $70.97

Facility

Facility calculation inputs
ComponentRVULocal GPCI
Work0.771.017
Practice expense0.291.096
Malpractice0.130.541

(0.77 × 1.017 + 0.29 × 1.096 + 0.13 × 0.541) × $33.4009 = $39.12

The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.

How this rate has changed

20610 · Office / nonfacility

$70.97

Effective 2026-10-01

The base rate is $5.89 higher than on 2025-10-01, moving from $65.08 to $70.97 (9.1%).

It is unchanged from the immediately preceding available release, effective 2026-07-01.

Base rate by release · bars start at $0 · select a bar to compare

One bar per available release, ordered by effective date. Missing rates remain gaps. These comparisons hold the code, setting and locality identifiers constant; they do not isolate which policy or input caused a change.

What changed, release by release

  1. January 1, 2026

    RVU26A

    $65.08changed to$70.97

    • Conversion factor 32.3465 changed to 33.4009
    • Work RVU 0.79 changed to 0.77
    • Practice expense RVU 1.04 changed to 1.16
    • Work GPCI 1.014 changed to 1.017
    • Practice expense GPCI 1.093 changed to 1.096
    • Malpractice GPCI 0.570 changed to 0.541

    Held through RVU26B, RVU26C, RVU26D.

  2. January 1, 2025

    RVU25A

    Earliest loaded release: $65.08

    Held through RVU25B, RVU25C, RVU25D.

Explore release dates and calculate this code in an earlier period →

Each row uses the accepted CMS release effective on that date and the same contractor and locality identifiers. Missing rates stay visible. Historical boundaries may differ; verify the service address for an older claim.

Inspect every release and its CMS source
Effective fromOffice / nonfacilityFacilityCMS release
2026-10-01$70.97$39.12RVU26D
2026-07-01$70.97$39.12RVU26C
2026-04-01$70.97$39.12RVU26B
2026-01-01$70.97$39.12RVU26A
2025-10-01$65.08$43.86RVU25D
2025-07-01$65.08$43.86RVU25C
2025-04-01$65.08$43.86RVU25B
2025-01-01$65.08$43.86RVU25A

20610 billing questions

Which joints qualify for 20610 rather than 20605 or 20600?

20610 is for major joints and bursae such as the knee, shoulder, hip, and subacromial bursa. Intermediate sites like the wrist, elbow, ankle, and olecranon bursa go to 20605, and small joints of the fingers and toes go to 20600.

If the knee is aspirated and then injected in the same session, is that two units?

No. Aspiration and injection of the same joint in one session are one unit of 20610, even if separate needle passes are needed.

How are bilateral knee injections reported to Medicare?

Report 20610 with modifier 50 on one line with one unit; CMS pays bilateral procedures at 150%. For a knee and a shoulder treated in the same session, report both sites; the multiple-procedure reduction applies, and a distinct-site modifier is used only when needed to identify separately reportable services.

Can an office visit be billed on the same day?

Yes, when the provider performs a significant, separately identifiable evaluation beyond the usual pre-injection assessment; append modifier 25 to the E/M code. The decision to inject and the brief assessment of the treated joint are included in the 0-day global.

What if imaging guidance is used?

If ultrasound guidance includes permanently recorded images and a written report, report 20611 instead of 20610; do not add 76942. For fluoroscopic needle guidance, report 20610 with the appropriate guidance code, such as 77002.

Is the injected drug included?

An eligible, provider-supplied corticosteroid or hyaluronan product may be reported separately with its HCPCS drug code and units based on the administered dose. Local anesthetic used for the procedure is not separately billed.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.

Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.

RVUs for 20610PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,771 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for El CentroGPCI2026.csv, line 10 (RVU26D)
Open CMS sourceHow this rate is calculatedBuild a fee sheet