CPT 68850: Lacrimal imagingMedicare rate & RVUs in Delaware
Reports contrast injection into the lacrimal drainage pathway for dacryocystography when imaging is used to assess suspected tear-drainage obstruction.
Medicare pays $56.00 for 68850 in the office in Delaware (Delaware). Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 68850 covers
For this service, a clinician accesses the lacrimal drainage pathway through the punctum and injects contrast so the system can be imaged. Ophthalmologists commonly perform the injection when evaluating epiphora or suspected obstruction of the canaliculi, lacrimal sac, or nasolacrimal duct. The radiographic study can show the course of the drainage pathway and where contrast flow is interrupted.
Report the injection when it is performed for dacryocystography; documentation should identify the clinical reason, the side treated, and the injection service. Radiological supervision and interpretation may be represented separately by 70190 when performed and documented. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, CMS pays 150% of the single-side amount. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures receive the standard multiple procedure reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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.
68850 in Delaware
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | $56.00 | $45.44 |
How the 68850 rate is calculated
Each of 68850’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 · 68850
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 0.78Practice expense 0.84Malpractice 0.07
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 68850
The CMS indicators that decide how 68850 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 68850
Lacrimal imaging
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
68850 without 50 · national office
$56.45
Lacrimal imaging
68850-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$84.68
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
68850 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
68850 vs 70190 vs 68810 vs 68840: national Medicare rates
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How to choose
- 70190Orbit X-ray
- 68850 represents the contrast injection. 70190 represents the radiological supervision and interpretation when that service is performed.
- 68810Tear duct probing
- Choose 68810 for probing the nasolacrimal duct; choose 68850 when contrast is injected for radiographic evaluation.
- 68840Tear duct probing
- 68840 describes exploration or irrigation of lacrimal passages. 68850 is the contrast-injection service for dacryocystography.
68850 billing questions
How is this different from probing or irrigating the tear duct?
This service injects contrast for radiographic assessment of the lacrimal drainage pathway. Probing or irrigation, such as 68810 or 68840, evaluates or treats patency by a different method.
Can the radiographic interpretation be reported separately?
When radiological supervision and interpretation is performed and documented, 70190 represents that service separately from the contrast injection.
How should bilateral injections be reported?
Use modifier 50 for bilateral performance. CMS pays the bilateral service at 150% of the single-side amount.
What same-session payment reduction applies?
When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and pays the others at 50%.
Does the 0-day global period include same-day care?
Yes. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the procedure's 0-day global period.
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
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