$574.48
Both cover subcutaneous shoulder-region mass excision, but 23075 is for a mass under 3 cm; 23071 is for one measuring 3 cm or larger.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
23071 Shoulder mass excision Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Removal of a subcutaneous soft-tissue mass in the shoulder region when its size is 3 cm or larger, such as a sizable lipoma. Compare 23071 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 23071 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
No supported rate
Facility setting
$410.26
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 23071: Shoulder subcutaneous mass excision, 3 cm or larger
Removal of a subcutaneous soft-tissue mass in the shoulder region when its size is 3 cm or larger, such as a sizable lipoma.
A surgeon removes a soft-tissue mass located beneath the skin in the shoulder region, without extending into deeper tissue. A common clinical example is excision of a sizable lipoma. The service may be performed in an office procedure room or a hospital or ambulatory surgery facility, depending on the mass and the planned procedure. The code is for excision, not simply sampling tissue to establish a diagnosis.
Choose this code when the mass is subcutaneous and measures 3 cm or larger; depth and mass size distinguish it from nearby shoulder excision codes. The operative report should identify the shoulder site, document that the mass was subcutaneous, and record its size and removal. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 23071
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are 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
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU5.76 · 47%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.06 · 42%
- Malpractice RVU1.37 · 11%
2.3K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2366 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.
23071 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Use 23073 for a deep shoulder-region mass measuring 5 cm or larger. This code is for a subcutaneous mass, regardless of that deeper-code size threshold.
No office rate
Use 23076 for a deep shoulder-region mass under 5 cm. This code applies when the mass is subcutaneous and at least 3 cm.
$239.08
23065 describes shoulder soft-tissue biopsy rather than excision of the mass. Choose the biopsy code when tissue is sampled without removing the mass.
Compare 23071 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
Unavailable
Facility
$410.26
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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 23071 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,157
- Code
- 23071
- Physician work
- 5.76
- Practice expense
- 5.06
- Malpractice
- 1.37
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 5.76 | × 1.012 | 5.8291 |
| Practice expense | 5.06 | × 1.064 | 5.3838 |
| Malpractice | 1.37 | × 0.781 | 1.0700 |
| Total RVUs | 12.2829 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Colorado$410.26
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.76 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 5.06 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 1.37 | 0.781 |
(5.76 × 1.012 + 5.06 × 1.064 + 1.37 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $410.26
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.
23071 billing questions
How does this differ from 23075?
Both describe excision of a subcutaneous soft-tissue mass in the shoulder region. Use 23071 for a mass measuring 3 cm or larger and 23075 for one under 3 cm.
When should a deeper shoulder mass code be considered?
Use the deeper-mass code family when the mass is below the subcutaneous tissue rather than beneath the skin. Within that family, size distinguishes 23073 from 23076.
Does a diagnostic biopsy alone support 23071?
No. This code represents excision of the mass; diagnostic tissue sampling without excision is represented by a shoulder biopsy code, such as 23065 or 23066, as appropriate to depth.
What should the operative note document?
Document the shoulder-region site, the mass's subcutaneous location, its size, and its excision. The mass size—not the incision length—determines the size category.
How are bilateral procedures and other same-session procedures paid?
CMS pays bilateral reporting with modifier 50 at 150%. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
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.
2,15423044,,Arthrt ac sc jt exp/rmvl fb,A,,7.40,7.22,NA,7.22,,1.64,16.26,16.26,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,15523065,,Biopsy shoulder tissues,A,,2.24,4.34,,1.80,,0.35,6.93,4.39,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,15623066,,Biopsy shoulder tissues,A,,4.19,13.62,,5.86,,0.92,18.73,10.97,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,15723071,,Exc shoulder les sc 3 cm/>,A,,5.76,5.06,NA,5.06,,1.37,12.19,12.19,0,090,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,15823073,,Exc shoulder tum deep 5 cm/>,A,,9.88,7.57,NA,7.57,,2.27,19.72,19.72,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,15923075,,Exc shoulder les sc < 3 cm,A,,4.10,11.59,,4.60,,0.92,16.61,9.62,0,090,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,16023076,,Exc shoulder tum deep < 5 cm,A,,7.22,6.82,NA,6.82,,1.63,15.67,15.67,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,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