CPT code 30020: Nasal abscess drainage2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Guam
Reports incision and drainage of a nasal abscess through an external approach, rather than drainage performed from inside the nose.
Medicare pays $293.31 for 30020 in the office in Guam (Hawaii, Guam). 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 30020 covers
An otolaryngologist or other qualified clinician uses an external incision to open and drain a localized abscess of the nose. The code distinguishes this approach from drainage performed intranasally. Documentation should identify the abscess and the external route used; a nasal lesion that is only sampled or removed is a different service.
Report the service for the drainage procedure, not for routine postoperative care. The 10-day global period includes related postoperative visits during that period. When another procedure subject to the multiple procedure rule is performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, co-surgeons, or a surgical team for this service.
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.
30020 in Hawaii, Guam
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii, Guam | $293.31 | $116.34 |
How the 30020 rate is calculated
Each of 30020’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 · 30020
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.44
1.44 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.35
6.35 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.21
0.21 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
8.0000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$267.21
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 30020
30020 has a 10-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 30020
Nasal abscess drainage
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 010 | Minor procedure: the day of the procedure plus 10 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) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.80/0.10 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 30020
Nasal abscess drainage
10-day global period ends
Oct 11, 2026
Covers Oct 1, 2026 through Oct 11, 2026 (11 days).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
After the global period ends: visits and procedures are billed normally.
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
30020 without 51 · national office
$267.21
Nasal abscess drainage
30020-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$133.61
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%).
30020 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 30000Nasal drainage
- Choose 30020 when the abscess is drained through an external approach; choose 30000 when drainage is performed intranasally.
- 30100Nasal biopsy
- 30100 is for sampling intranasal tissue for diagnosis. It does not describe opening and draining an abscess.
- 30110Nasal polypectomy
- 30110 concerns removal of a nasal polyp, not drainage of a nasal abscess.
30020 billing questions
How does this differ from 30000?
This code is for drainage through an external approach. Code 30000 is used when the abscess is drained intranasally.
Can modifier 50 be used for abscesses on both sides?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; do not append modifier 50.
Are related postoperative visits separately reported during the global period?
Related postoperative visits for 10 days are included in the global period.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, and co-surgeons are not permitted.
What documentation supports this code?
Document the nasal abscess, the drainage performed, and that the clinician used an external approach. A biopsy or removal of a nasal lesion alone does not establish that drainage was performed.
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
Fee sheets
Put 30020 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →