$108.85
Both describe removal of a drug-delivery device, but 20705 is selected for an intra-articular location and 20703 for an intramedullary location.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
20705 Device removal Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Removal of a drug-delivery device from a joint is reported with the primary operation when a previously placed intra-articular implant is taken out. Compare 20705 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Colorado.
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 20705 in Colorado?
Colorado 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
$128.76
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Colorado
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$105.30
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Colorado
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.
Orthopedic surgery
About 20705: Intra-articular drug device removal
Removal of a drug-delivery device from a joint is reported with the primary operation when a previously placed intra-articular implant is taken out.
This code represents operative removal of a drug-delivery device positioned inside a joint. A representative situation is removal of an antibiotic-containing spacer during a staged operation for an infected joint. Orthopedic surgeons and other physicians performing musculoskeletal surgery may encounter this work in an operating room or hospital facility. The device’s intra-articular location and drug-delivery purpose distinguish the service from removal of ordinary fixation hardware or a joint prosthesis.
Report 20705 only with the primary procedure performed during the operative encounter; it is not a standalone service. The operative report should identify the device, document its intra-articular location and removal, and support the associated primary operation. CMS treats this as an add-on code, with payment falling within the primary procedure’s global period. The site of the device—not the specific medication or the reason for its use—guides selection among the related drug-delivery device codes.
CMS billing rules for 20705
- Global period
- Add-on code: billed only together with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure's global period.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU2.10 · 55%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.31 · 34%
- Malpractice RVU0.43 · 11%
278
Medicare services in 2024 · #4050 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.
20705 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
$66.12
20701 describes removal from a deep location; 20705 applies when the device is located inside a joint.
$156.38
20704 covers preparation and insertion of a drug-delivery device in a joint. 20705 describes removal of a previously placed intra-articular device.
Compare 20705 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
Colorado →
Office / nonfacility
$128.76
Facility
$105.30
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
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 20705 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
1,795
- Code
- 20705
- Physician work
- 2.10
- Practice expense
- 1.31
- Malpractice
- 0.43
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 2.10 | × 1.012 | 2.1252 |
| Practice expense | 1.31 | × 1.064 | 1.3938 |
| Malpractice | 0.43 | × 0.781 | 0.3358 |
| Total RVUs | 3.8549 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Colorado$128.76
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 2.1 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 1.31 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 0.43 | 0.781 |
(2.1 × 1.012 + 1.31 × 1.064 + 0.43 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $128.76
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 2.1 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 0.65 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 0.43 | 0.781 |
(2.1 × 1.012 + 0.65 × 1.064 + 0.43 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $105.30
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.
20705 billing questions
Can 20705 be reported by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with a primary procedure.
How does 20705 differ from 20703?
20705 is for removal of a drug-delivery device located inside a joint; 20703 is for removal of one located in the intramedullary space.
Is removal of every joint implant reported with 20705?
No. The code concerns an intra-articular device used to deliver medication, such as an antibiotic-containing spacer, not routine removal of a prosthesis or fixation hardware.
What should the operative report document?
Document the device’s drug-delivery purpose, its intra-articular location, its removal, and the primary procedure performed in the same encounter.
Can a joint spacer qualify?
A spacer used to deliver medication may fit when it is removed from the joint. The device’s purpose and location should be clear in the operative documentation.
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.
1,79220702,,Mnl prep&insj imed rx dev,A,,2.44,1.50,,0.75,,0.49,4.43,3.68,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,79320703,,Rmvl imed rx delivery device,A,,1.76,1.11,,0.56,,0.38,3.25,2.70,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,79420704,,Mnl prep&insj i-artic rx dev,A,,2.54,1.61,,0.80,,0.51,4.66,3.85,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,79520705,,Rmvl i-artic rx delivery dev,A,,2.10,1.31,,0.65,,0.43,3.84,3.18,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,79620802,,Replantation arm complete,A,,41.55,23.01,NA,23.01,,8.86,73.42,73.42,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,79720805,,Replant forearm complete,A,,50.17,25.91,NA,25.91,,10.72,86.80,86.80,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,79820808,,Replantation hand complete,A,,61.51,29.52,NA,29.52,,13.14,104.17,104.17,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3401112,CA,69,VISALIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3501112,CA,70,YUBA CITY,1.017,1.096,0.536
3601112,CA,75,REST OF CALIFORNIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3704112,CO,01,COLORADO,1.012,1.064,0.781
3813102,CT,00,CONNECTICUT,1.020,1.077,1.210
3912202,DC,01,DC + MD/VA SUBURBS,1.054,1.178,1.113
4012102,DE,01,DELAWARE,1.005,0.988,0.899