$54.45
20551 targets a tendon origin or insertion, such as the common extensor origin in lateral epicondylitis. 20550 targets a tendon sheath, ligament, or aponeurosis such as the plantar fascia.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
20550 Tendon sheath injection Medicare reimbursement rates in Arkansas
Medication injection into one tendon sheath, ligament, or aponeurosis is reported for conditions such as trigger finger, de Quervain tenosynovitis, or plantar fasciitis. Compare 20550 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Arkansas.
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.
What does Medicare pay for 20550 in Arkansas?
Arkansas has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$54.34
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Arkansas
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$31.10
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Arkansas
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Musculoskeletal injection
About 20550: Injection of a single tendon sheath or ligament
Medication injection into one tendon sheath, ligament, or aponeurosis is reported for conditions such as trigger finger, de Quervain tenosynovitis, or plantar fasciitis.
This service delivers medication into a single tendon sheath, ligament, or aponeurosis, commonly a corticosteroid with local anesthetic. Typical targets include the flexor tendon sheath in trigger finger, the first dorsal wrist compartment in de Quervain tenosynovitis, and the plantar fascia in plantar fasciitis. Orthopedists, hand surgeons, podiatrists, rheumatologists, sports medicine clinicians, and primary care clinicians perform these injections in offices and facility settings.
Report one unit for injection(s) into one identified sheath, ligament, or aponeurosis; document each distinct target and side, technique, medication, and dose. Ultrasound needle guidance, when performed, requires separately documented guidance, retained images, and a report. Report practice-supplied medication with the appropriate HCPCS drug code and dose-based units. Medicare assigns a 0-day global period that includes routine same-day pre- and postoperative care; a separately identifiable E/M requires modifier 25. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral services with modifier 50 pay at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services are not paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 20550
- 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 RVU0.73 · 40%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.99 · 55%
- Malpractice RVU0.09 · 5%
795K
Medicare services in 2024 · #170 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.
20550 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Arkansas, from the same CMS release.
$78.12
A therapeutic injection into the carpal tunnel is reported with 20526, even though flexor tendons pass through the tunnel. Use 20550 when the injection targets a tendon sheath.
$46.68
20552 describes injection of muscle trigger points in one or two muscles for myofascial pain. 20550 is selected for injection into a tendon sheath, ligament, or aponeurosis.
$50.30
20600 describes injection into a small joint space, such as an interphalangeal joint. Use 20550 when the needle targets the surrounding tendon sheath, as in trigger finger.
Compare 20550 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Arkansas →
Office / nonfacility
$54.34
Facility
$31.10
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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 20550 in Arkansas.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
1,759
- Code
- 20550
- Physician work
- 0.73
- Practice expense
- 0.99
- Malpractice
- 0.09
GPCI2026.csv
7
- Locality
- Arkansas
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.859
- Malpractice
- 0.515
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.73 | × 1.000 | 0.7300 |
| Practice expense | 0.99 | × 0.859 | 0.8504 |
| Malpractice | 0.09 | × 0.515 | 0.0464 |
| Total RVUs | 1.6268 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Arkansas$54.34
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.73 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.99 | 0.859 |
| Malpractice | 0.09 | 0.515 |
(0.73 × 1 + 0.99 × 0.859 + 0.09 × 0.515) × $33.4009 = $54.34
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.73 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.18 | 0.859 |
| Malpractice | 0.09 | 0.515 |
(0.73 × 1 + 0.18 × 0.859 + 0.09 × 0.515) × $33.4009 = $31.10
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.
20550 billing questions
Should a lateral epicondylitis injection be coded here or with 20551?
Injection at a tendon origin or insertion, such as the common extensor origin at the lateral epicondyle, is reported with 20551. Use 20550 when the target is a tendon sheath, ligament, or aponeurosis such as the plantar fascia.
How are injections of two different trigger fingers on the same hand reported?
Report each distinct tendon sheath separately and identify the injected digits. Append a distinct-site modifier when required to distinguish the services; Medicare's same-session multiple procedure reduction applies.
Can ultrasound guidance be billed with 20550?
Yes. Ultrasound needle guidance may be reported with 76942 when performed, with retained images and a separate guidance report.
Is the corticosteroid separately billable?
When the practice supplies it, report an eligible drug with its HCPCS code and documented dose-based units. For J3301, one unit represents 10 mg of triamcinolone acetonide, so 40 mg is four units.
Can an office visit be billed on the same day?
A significant, separately identifiable E/M service beyond the usual pre-injection assessment may be reported with modifier 25. The routine decision to inject is included in the 0-day global care.
When is modifier 50 appropriate?
For corresponding structures injected on both sides in one session, such as bilateral plantar fascia injections, report 20550 with modifier 50 on one line with one unit. Medicare pays the bilateral service at 150%.
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.
1,75620525,,Rmvl fb musc/tdn deep/comp,A,,3.45,10.77,,2.87,,0.66,14.88,6.98,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,75720526,,Ther injection carp tunnel,A,,0.92,1.55,,0.39,,0.17,2.64,1.48,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,75820527,,Njx nzm palmar fascial cord,A,,0.98,1.65,,0.58,,0.19,2.82,1.75,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,75920550,,Njx 1 tendon sheath/ligament,A,,0.73,0.99,,0.18,,0.09,1.81,1.00,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,76020551,,Njx 1 tendon origin/insj,A,,0.73,1.00,,0.18,,0.08,1.81,0.99,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,76120552,,Njx 1/mlt trigger point 1/2,A,,0.64,0.84,,0.36,,0.07,1.55,1.07,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,76220553,,Njx 1/mlt trigger points 3/>,A,,0.73,0.98,,0.41,,0.08,1.79,1.22,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515
801112,CA,54,BAKERSFIELD,1.019,1.096,0.609
901112,CA,55,CHICO,1.017,1.096,0.536
1001182,CA,71,EL CENTRO,1.017,1.096,0.541