Billing code 96922: Excimer laserMedicare rate & RVUs in Guam
Report this code for excimer laser treatment of psoriasis when the total treated skin area exceeds 500 square centimeters during the session.
Medicare pays $194.08 for 96922 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 96922 covers
A dermatologist uses targeted excimer laser energy to treat psoriasis plaques. This code identifies treatment when the total skin area treated is greater than 500 square centimeters. The service is typically performed in an office setting for patients receiving laser treatment of psoriasis lesions; the treated area, rather than the number of plaques, determines the code tier.
Select the tier from the documented total area treated and retain a record supporting that measurement. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and 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 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; co-surgeon and team-surgery billing 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.
96922 in Hawaii, Guam
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii, Guam | $194.08 | $79.39 |
How the 96922 rate is calculated
Each of 96922’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 · 96922
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 1.12Practice expense 4.10Malpractice 0.05
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 96922
The CMS indicators that decide how 96922 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 96922
Excimer laser
| 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) | 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. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
96922 without 51 · national office
$176.02
Excimer laser
96922-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$88.01
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%).
96922 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
96922 vs 96920 vs 96921 vs 96910 vs 96912: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 96920Excimer laser
- Use 96920 when the total area treated for psoriasis is under 250 square centimeters; 96922 is for an area greater than 500 square centimeters.
- 96921Excimer laser
- Use 96921 for a total treated area of 250 to 500 square centimeters. 96922 applies when the total treated area exceeds 500 square centimeters.
- 96910Phototherapy
- 96910 describes tar-and-UVB photochemotherapy, not targeted excimer laser treatment. The excimer code tier is selected by the total psoriasis area treated.
- 96912PUVA therapy
- 96912 is PUVA photochemotherapy; 96922 is targeted excimer laser treatment for psoriasis involving more than 500 square centimeters.
96922 billing questions
How is 96922 distinguished from 96920 and 96921?
Choose among these codes by the total skin area treated for psoriasis: 96922 is for more than 500 square centimeters. The number of plaques alone does not determine the tier.
What area should the documentation support?
Document the total skin area treated during the session and enough detail to support that measurement. The code tier is based on treated area, not lesion count.
Does modifier 50 apply when treatment covers both sides of the body?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; report the applicable area tier rather than appending modifier 50.
How are same-session procedures affected by the multiple-procedure rule?
When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction.
Is same-day preoperative or postoperative care separately included?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
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 96922 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 →