Billing code 20910: Cartilage harvestMedicare rate & RVUs in Georgia
Reports harvesting cartilage from a rib for grafting, such as structural support in nasal or other reconstructive surgery.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 20910 in Georgia.
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 20910 covers
This service covers obtaining costal cartilage from the patient for use as a graft. A surgeon typically harvests it through a donor-site incision during reconstructive surgery, including nasal reconstruction or rhinoplasty when additional structural cartilage is needed. The graft may provide support or shape at a separate recipient site; the operative report should identify the rib donor site and the graft procurement performed.
Report the code for costal cartilage harvest, rather than for septal cartilage or a bone, fascia, or tendon graft. Documentation should connect the harvested material to the grafting procedure and describe the donor-site work. CMS 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 multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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.
Where 20910 pays more and less in Georgia
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | Unavailable | $476.13 |
| Rest Of Georgia | Unavailable | $444.80 |
How the 20910 rate is calculated
Each of 20910’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 · 20910
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work5.39
5.39 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense7.35
7.35 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.15
1.15 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
13.8900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$463.94
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 20910
20910 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 20910
Cartilage harvest
| 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) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 20910
Cartilage harvest
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
20910 without 51 · national facility
$463.94
Cartilage harvest
20910-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$231.97
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%).
20910 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 20912Cartilage graft
- Choose 20910 for cartilage harvested from a rib; 20912 is for cartilage harvested from the nasal septum.
- 20900Bone graft harvest
- 20900 represents bone graft harvest, not costal cartilage procurement.
- 20902Bone graft harvest
- 20902 is for bone graft harvest of a larger extent; it does not describe rib cartilage harvest.
- 20920Fascia graft
- 20920 represents fascia graft harvest. Use 20910 when the graft material obtained is costal cartilage.
20910 billing questions
How does this differ from 20912?
This code is for harvesting costal cartilage from a rib. Use 20912 when the graft is harvested from the nasal septum.
Can this be reported with the reconstruction that uses the graft?
It represents procurement of costal cartilage for grafting during reconstructive surgery. Document the donor-site work and the graft's role in the operative report.
Should modifier 50 be used when cartilage is taken from both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
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.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when medical necessity is documented. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What happens when this is performed with other procedures in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard 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 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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