Billing code 50020: Abscess drainageMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Open drainage of an abscess in or around the kidney, reported when the surgeon surgically exposes and drains the infected collection.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 50020 in Delaware.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 50020 covers
A urologist typically performs this operation in an operating room to surgically expose and drain a purulent collection within the kidney or in the tissue surrounding it. The service is defined by open operative drainage of the abscess, rather than drainage through an image-guided catheter or a procedure directed at a renal calculus. The operative report should identify the abscess location and describe the open drainage performed.
Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
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.
50020 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Unavailable | $908.46 |
How the 50020 rate is calculated
Each of 50020’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 50020
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 17.63Practice expense 7.53Malpractice 2.27
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 50020
50020 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 50020
Abscess drainage
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.08/0.83/0.09 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 50020
Abscess drainage
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
50020 without 51 · national facility
$916.19
Abscess drainage
50020-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$458.10
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
50020 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
50020 vs 50010 vs 49405 vs 50040: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 50010Renal exploration
- 50020 is selected for open drainage of a renal or perirenal abscess. 50010 is selected when renal exploration is the defining service.
- 49405Visceral drainage
- 49405 describes image-guided catheter drainage of a peritoneal or retroperitoneal collection; 50020 is open operative drainage of a renal or perirenal abscess.
- 50040Renal drainage
- 50040 covers nephrostomy or nephrotomy with drainage. Choose 50020 when the operation is specifically open drainage of a renal or perirenal abscess.
50020 billing questions
How is 50020 distinguished from renal exploration?
Report 50020 when open drainage of a renal or perirenal abscess is the operative service. Renal exploration is a different selection when exploration, rather than abscess drainage alone, defines the procedure.
Can image-guided drainage be reported as 50020?
No. 50020 describes open operative drainage; image-guided catheter drainage is a different approach and may point to a drainage code such as 49405, depending on the service performed.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care through 90 days after surgery.
Should modifier 50 be used for bilateral abscesses?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for 50020; modifier 50 should not be used.
How are assistants and co-surgeons handled?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons are payable only with supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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