$273.78
Choose 30020 when the abscess is drained through an external approach; choose 30000 when drainage is performed intranasally.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
30020 Nasal abscess drainage Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Reports incision and drainage of a nasal abscess through an external approach, rather than drainage performed from inside the nose. Compare 30020 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 30020 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
$279.82
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Colorado
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$114.21
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.
ENT procedure
About 30020: External nasal abscess drainage
Reports incision and drainage of a nasal abscess through an external approach, rather than drainage performed from inside the nose.
An otolaryngologist or other qualified clinician uses an external incision to open and drain a localized abscess of the nose. The code distinguishes this approach from drainage performed intranasally. Documentation should identify the abscess and the external route used; a nasal lesion that is only sampled or removed is a different service.
Report the service for the drainage procedure, not for routine postoperative care. The 10-day global period includes related postoperative visits during that period. When another procedure subject to the multiple procedure rule is performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, co-surgeons, or a surgical team for this service.
CMS billing rules for 30020
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 10-day global period: related postoperative visits for 10 days 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- 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 RVU1.44 · 18%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.35 · 79%
- Malpractice RVU0.21 · 3%
182
Medicare services in 2024 · #4409 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.
30020 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
Compare 30020 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
$279.82
Facility
$114.21
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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 30020 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,391
- Code
- 30020
- Physician work
- 1.44
- Practice expense
- 6.35
- Malpractice
- 0.21
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 1.44 | × 1.012 | 1.4573 |
| Practice expense | 6.35 | × 1.064 | 6.7564 |
| Malpractice | 0.21 | × 0.781 | 0.1640 |
| Total RVUs | 8.3777 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Colorado$279.82
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.44 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 6.35 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 0.21 | 0.781 |
(1.44 × 1.012 + 6.35 × 1.064 + 0.21 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $279.82
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.44 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 1.69 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 0.21 | 0.781 |
(1.44 × 1.012 + 1.69 × 1.064 + 0.21 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $114.21
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.
30020 billing questions
How does this differ from 30000?
This code is for drainage through an external approach. Code 30000 is used when the abscess is drained intranasally.
Can modifier 50 be used for abscesses on both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; do not append modifier 50.
Are related postoperative visits separately reported during the global period?
Related postoperative visits for 10 days are included in the global period.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, and co-surgeons are not permitted.
What documentation supports this code?
Document the nasal abscess, the drainage performed, and that the clinician used an external approach. A biopsy or removal of a nasal lesion alone does not establish that drainage was performed.
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.
3,38829916,,Hip arthro w/labral repair,A,,14.63,10.33,NA,10.33,,2.90,27.86,27.86,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,3,1,2,1,0,9,29860,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,38929999,,Unlisted px arthroscopy,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,YYY,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,39030000,,Drainage of nose lesion,A,,1.44,6.18,,1.66,,0.21,7.83,3.31,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,39130020,,Drainage of nose lesion,A,,1.44,6.35,,1.69,,0.21,8.00,3.34,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,3923006F,,Cxr doc rev,I,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,3933008F,,Body mass index docd,I,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,39430100,,Intranasal biopsy,A,,0.92,3.18,,0.78,,0.13,4.23,1.83,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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