Both address corneal foreign body removal. The distinguishing factor is slit-lamp assistance during removal: without it, use 65220; with it, use 65222.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
65220 Corneal removal Medicare reimbursement rates in Florida
Removal of a foreign particle from the cornea without slit-lamp assistance, commonly performed in an office or facility for an acute eye injury. Compare 65220 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 65220 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
$63.97–$70.29
3 of 3 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$38.74–$42.82
3 of 3 localities have a supported rate.
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.
Where 65220 pays more and less in Florida
3 payment localities
$63.97 to $70.29
Ophthalmology procedure
About 65220: Corneal foreign body removal without slit lamp
Removal of a foreign particle from the cornea without slit-lamp assistance, commonly performed in an office or facility for an acute eye injury.
This service removes a foreign particle lodged on or in the cornea without using a slit lamp during the removal. It is commonly performed by an ophthalmologist or optometrist when a patient presents with an acute injury, such as a metal fragment or plant material in the cornea. The clinician examines the eye, typically uses topical anesthesia, and removes the particle with an appropriate instrument. The code is specific to the cornea; a particle on the conjunctiva or within the eye involves a different service.
Report this code when documentation identifies the corneal location and supports removal without slit-lamp assistance. A removal performed with slit-lamp assistance is reported with 65222 instead. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the 50% multiple-procedure reduction. For bilateral treatment, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 65220
- 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
- Bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- 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 RVU0.69 · 36%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.14 · 59%
- Malpractice RVU0.09 · 5%
1.5K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2667 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.
65220 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Florida, from the same CMS release.
65205 is for a superficial foreign body on the conjunctiva. Use 65220 when the foreign body is on or in the cornea and removal is performed without slit-lamp assistance.
65210 addresses an embedded conjunctival foreign body. Corneal location, rather than conjunctival location, supports 65220.
65235 concerns removal of an intraocular foreign body in the anterior segment. A foreign body on or in the cornea is reported with 65220 when removed without slit-lamp assistance.
Compare 65220 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
Fort Lauderdale →
Office / nonfacility
$67.05
Facility
$40.32
Miami →
Office / nonfacility
$70.29
Facility
$42.82
Rest Of Florida →
Office / nonfacility
$63.97
Facility
$38.74
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65220 billing questions
How does 65220 differ from 65222?
Both codes describe removal of a corneal foreign body. Use 65220 when the removal is performed without slit-lamp assistance and 65222 when slit-lamp assistance is used for the removal.
Can 65220 be used for a foreign body on the conjunctiva?
No. This code is for a corneal foreign body; conjunctival removal is represented by codes such as 65205 or 65210, depending on the circumstances.
What documentation supports reporting 65220?
Document the corneal location, the foreign body removal performed, and that the removal was completed without slit-lamp assistance. The record should distinguish a corneal particle from one on the conjunctiva or inside the eye.
Is same-day evaluation and treatment included in the global period?
Yes. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, which includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
How is bilateral treatment paid?
When both eyes are treated in the same session, CMS pays modifier 50 at 150%.
What happens when another procedure is 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.
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.
