$18.03
69209 is for removal by irrigation or lavage alone. 69210 requires instrumental removal, such as with a curette, forceps, or suction, under direct visualization.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
69210 Impacted ear wax removal Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Report instrumental removal of impacted cerumen from an ear canal under direct visualization when the wax obstructs examination or requires clinical treatment. Compare 69210 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 69210 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
$49.13
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Colorado
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$27.10
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.
Otolaryngology procedure
About 69210: Instrumental removal of impacted cerumen, one ear
Report instrumental removal of impacted cerumen from an ear canal under direct visualization when the wax obstructs examination or requires clinical treatment.
Code 69210 covers removal of impacted cerumen from the external auditory canal with an instrument under direct visualization. A physician or other qualified health care professional may use a curette, loop, forceps, or suction while viewing the canal with an otoscope, headlight, or microscope. The wax may obstruct assessment of the tympanic membrane or cause hearing loss, ear fullness, or discomfort. Primary care clinicians and otolaryngologists commonly perform this service in offices; it may also occur in facility settings.
Report 69210 for instrumental removal of an impaction; use 69209 when irrigation or lavage alone clears it. Document the impaction, ear or ears treated, instruments, and findings after removal. Medicare prices 69210 as bilateral, so report one unit when both ears are treated; modifier 50 does not increase payment. Routine same-day pre- and post-procedure care is included in its 0-day global period; a significant, separately identifiable E/M requires modifier 25 on the E/M code. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction are paid at 50%. Assistant at surgery is not paid; co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 69210
- 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
- The code is already priced as bilateral; modifier 50 does not increase payment.
- 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 RVU0.59 · 41%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.77 · 54%
- Malpractice RVU0.07 · 5%
1.5M
Medicare services in 2024 · #106 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.
69210 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
$51.88
G0268 describes a physician's removal of impacted cerumen on the same date as audiologic function testing. It is not an irrigation-only counterpart to 69210.
$84.73
69200 is for extracting a foreign object, such as a bead or insect, from the external ear canal without general anesthesia. Use 69210 for instrumental removal of impacted cerumen.
$80.97
69220 is for simple debridement of a surgically created mastoid cavity. 69210 removes impacted wax from the external auditory canal.
Compare 69210 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
$49.13
Facility
$27.10
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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 69210 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
7,595
- Code
- 69210
- Physician work
- 0.59
- Practice expense
- 0.77
- Malpractice
- 0.07
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.59 | × 1.012 | 0.5971 |
| Practice expense | 0.77 | × 1.064 | 0.8193 |
| Malpractice | 0.07 | × 0.781 | 0.0547 |
| Total RVUs | 1.4710 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Colorado$49.13
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.59 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 0.77 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 0.07 | 0.781 |
(0.59 × 1.012 + 0.77 × 1.064 + 0.07 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $49.13
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.59 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 0.15 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 0.07 | 0.781 |
(0.59 × 1.012 + 0.15 × 1.064 + 0.07 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $27.10
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.
69210 billing questions
When is 69210 reported instead of 69209?
Use 69210 when impacted wax is removed with instruments such as a curette, forceps, or suction under direct visualization. Use 69209 when irrigation or lavage alone removes it.
Can 69210 be billed if the cerumen was not impacted?
No. Removing wax that is not impacted is part of the examination or other service and is not separately reported as 69210.
How are both ears handled for Medicare?
Report one unit when impacted cerumen is removed instrumentally from both ears. Medicare already prices 69210 as bilateral, so modifier 50 does not increase payment.
Is an office visit on the same day separately payable?
A significant, separately identifiable E/M may be reported with modifier 25 on the E/M code. Routine same-day pre- and post-procedure care is included in the 0-day global period.
What if the clinician irrigates first and then finishes with a curette?
When instrumentation is needed to complete removal of impacted cerumen in the same ear, report 69210 rather than reporting both 69209 and 69210 for that ear.
What documentation supports 69210?
Record the impaction, which ear was treated, the instruments used under direct visualization, and the findings after removal.
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.
7,59269200,,Clear outer ear canal,A,,0.75,1.59,,0.39,,0.11,2.45,1.25,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,59369205,,Clear outer ear canal,A,,1.18,1.27,NA,1.27,,0.17,2.62,2.62,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,59469209,,Remove impacted ear wax uni,A,,0.00,0.50,,0.50,NA,0.01,0.51,0.51,5,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,59569210,,Remove impacted ear wax uni,A,,0.59,0.77,,0.15,,0.07,1.43,0.81,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,2,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,59669220,,Clean out mastoid cavity,A,,0.81,1.42,,0.40,,0.12,2.35,1.33,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,59769222,,Clean out mastoid cavity,A,,1.41,4.87,,2.15,,0.21,6.49,3.77,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,59869300,,Revise external ear,R,,6.44,12.18,,5.42,,0.93,19.55,12.79,0,YYY,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,0,0,9,,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