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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01

25031 Bursal drainage Medicare reimbursement rates in Florida

Reports operative incision and drainage of a forearm or wrist bursa, typically to evacuate infected or otherwise abnormal bursal fluid. Compare 25031 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Florida.

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 25031 in Florida?

Florida has 3 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 3 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.

Office / nonfacility

No supported rate

Facility setting

$370.41–$417.55

3 of 3 localities have a supported rate.

Lowest: Rest Of Florida

Highest: Miami

A spread of $47.14 per service.

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.

Find 25031 in your payment locality →

Where 25031 pays more and less in Florida

Orthopedic surgery

About 25031: Forearm or wrist bursal drainage

Reports operative incision and drainage of a forearm or wrist bursa, typically to evacuate infected or otherwise abnormal bursal fluid.

This service opens a bursa in the forearm or wrist and drains its contents. It is most often performed by an orthopedic or hand surgeon when a bursa requires operative drainage, such as for suspected infection or a persistent fluid collection. The operative note should identify the bursa and side, describe the findings, and document the incision and drainage performed.

Choose this code when the structure treated is a bursa, rather than a deep soft-tissue abscess, tendon sheath, or bone. The CMS global period includes 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 the others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

CMS billing rules for 25031

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 is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
Co-surgeons
Co-surgeons not permitted.
Team surgery
Team surgery not permitted.

Where the value comes from

  • Work RVU4.15 · 38%
  • Practice expense (office) RVU5.86 · 54%
  • Malpractice RVU0.89 · 8%

80

Medicare services in 2024 · #5046 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.

25031 compared with similar codes

Office rates for Florida, from the same CMS release.

25028

Collection drainage

Deep abscess or hematoma

No office rate

Choose 25031 for drainage of a bursa. Choose 25028 when the operative target is a deep abscess or hematoma in the forearm or wrist.

25000

Tendon release

Wrist extensor sheath

No office rate

Code 25000 concerns incision of a tendon sheath. Use 25031 when the structure opened and drained is a bursa.

Compare 25031 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.

3 of 3 payment localities

Office and facility base rates · shared scale starting at $0

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25031 billing questions

How is this code distinguished from 25028?

Use 25031 when the operative target is a forearm or wrist bursa. Code 25028 describes drainage of a deep abscess or hematoma in that region, not a bursa.

What documentation supports reporting 25031?

Document the forearm or wrist bursa treated, laterality, operative findings, and the drainage performed. The record should make clear that the treated structure was a bursa.

How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?

The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.

How is bilateral drainage handled?

When the procedure is performed bilaterally, CMS payment with modifier 50 is at 150%.

Can an assistant or another surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment is available only with documentation of medical necessity. CMS does not permit co-surgeons or team surgery for this code.

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.

RVUs for 25031PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,375 (RVU26D)
Open CMS sourceHow this rate is calculatedBuild a fee sheet