CPT code 92504: Ear microscopy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Alabama
Reports a binocular-microscope examination of the ear canal and eardrum when magnified inspection provides a distinct diagnostic assessment beyond routine otoscopy.
Medicare pays $25.78 for 92504 in the office in Alabama (Alabama). Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 9 sections
What 92504 covers
An otolaryngologist typically uses a binocular microscope to inspect the external ear canal and tympanic membrane in an office or other clinical setting. Magnification can help assess findings such as canal inflammation, debris, a suspected perforation, or the position of a tympanostomy tube. The service is a diagnostic examination, not simply the use of a microscope as a visual aid during another procedure.
Select this code when the clinician performs and documents a distinct microscopic ear assessment. Record the ear or ears examined, the relevant findings, and how the examination informs the clinical assessment or plan. Routine otoscopy alone does not support this service, and microscope use solely to perform cerumen removal or another procedure should not be treated as a separate diagnostic examination. CMS physician fee schedule valuation accounts for work, practice expense, and malpractice inputs, with practice expense values differing between office and facility settings.
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.
92504 in Alabama
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $25.78 | $7.37 |
How the 92504 rate is calculated
Each of 92504’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 · 92504
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.18
0.18 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.67
0.67 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.01
0.01 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.8600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$28.72
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 92504
92504 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.
Place of service · 92504
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
$28.72
- Non-facility (office)
- $28.72
- Facility
- $7.68
Higher because the practice carries its own overhead.
92504 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 92502ENT examination
- 92504 is a diagnostic microscopic examination of the ear. 92502 is an otolaryngologic examination performed under general anesthesia.
- 69210Impacted ear wax removal
- Use 69210 for removal of impacted cerumen with instrumentation. Use 92504 for a distinct diagnostic microscopic examination, not merely visualization during removal.
- 69209Earwax removal
- 69209 describes impacted cerumen removal by irrigation or lavage. 92504 describes microscopic examination, not wax removal.
92504 billing questions
When is microscopic examination distinct from routine otoscopy?
Report 92504 when the clinician performs a diagnostic examination using binocular magnification and documents the findings. A routine look with an otoscope during an E/M visit is not the same service.
Can 92504 be reported with an office E/M service?
It may be reported with an E/M service when both are performed and the record supports a distinct microscopic examination as well as the separately documented E/M work.
Should 92504 be used when impacted cerumen is removed?
Choose the cerumen-removal code when removal is the service performed. Do not report 92504 merely because the microscope helps visualize that removal.
How does 92504 differ from 92502?
92504 describes diagnostic microscopic examination of the ear. 92502 is for an otolaryngologic examination performed under general anesthesia.
What documentation supports 92504?
Document use of binocular microscopy, the ear findings, and the diagnostic purpose of the examination. Identify the side or sides examined in the note.
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
Fee sheets
Put 92504 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →