$136.32–$147.99
Choose 68760 for closure by cautery, ligation, or another non-plug method. Choose 68761 when a plug is used; that code is reported per punctum.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
68760 Punctal closure Medicare reimbursement rates in Illinois
Reports closure of a lacrimal punctum by cautery, ligation, or another method to reduce tear drainage, commonly for patients with dry eye. Compare 68760 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Illinois.
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 68760 in Illinois?
Illinois has 4 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 4 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$208.45–$227.69
4 of 4 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$124.59–$134.38
4 of 4 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 68760 pays more and less in Illinois
4 payment localities
$208.45 to $227.69
Ophthalmology
About 68760: Lacrimal punctum closure by cautery
Reports closure of a lacrimal punctum by cautery, ligation, or another method to reduce tear drainage, commonly for patients with dry eye.
An ophthalmologist, often an oculoplastic specialist, closes a lacrimal punctum to slow tear drainage and retain tears on the eye. This is commonly considered for patients with dry eye when punctal occlusion is needed and a plug is not the selected method. The clinician may use cautery, ligation, or another closure technique, typically in an office setting.
Report this code for punctal closure by a method other than a plug; the plug method is represented separately. Document the treated punctum or side, the technique, and the clinical reason for reducing tear drainage. CMS assigns a 10-day global period, so related postoperative visits during that period are included. For bilateral treatment, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 68760
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 10-day global period: related postoperative visits for 10 days 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
- 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 RVU1.74 · 26%
- Practice expense (office) RVU4.69 · 71%
- Malpractice RVU0.14 · 2%
5.3K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1829 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.
68760 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Illinois, from the same CMS release.
$246.93–$269.73
Both may reduce tear drainage, but 68760 specifically closes the punctum. Code 68705 describes a different procedure for correcting excessive tearing.
68770
No office rateLacrimal fistula closure
Code 68770 closes a lacrimal fistula. Code 68760 is for closure of the lacrimal punctum, not a fistulous opening.
No office rate
Code 68700 repairs the lacrimal canaliculus. It is not the code for occluding the punctum to retain tears.
Compare 68760 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.
4 of 4 payment localities
Chicago →
Office / nonfacility
$226.69
Facility
$134.38
East St. Louis →
Office / nonfacility
$211.65
Facility
$127.15
Rest Of Illinois →
Office / nonfacility
$208.45
Facility
$124.59
Suburban Chicago →
Office / nonfacility
$227.69
Facility
$133.36
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68760 billing questions
How does this differ from 68761?
This code is for punctal closure by cautery, ligation, or another non-plug method. Code 68761 is for closure using a plug and is reported per punctum.
When is punctal closure used?
It is used to reduce tear drainage and retain tears, commonly in a patient with dry eye. The documentation should support the clinical reason for occlusion and identify the method performed.
How should bilateral treatment be reported?
When both sides are treated, report modifier 50. CMS pays a bilateral procedure at 150% under the rule for this code.
Are postoperative visits separately reported during the global period?
Related postoperative visits during the 10-day global period are included in the procedure payment.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be billed?
CMS does not pay for an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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.
7,56568720,,Create tear sac drain,A,,9.71,10.51,NA,10.51,,0.82,21.04,21.04,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,56668745,,Create tear duct drain,A,,9.65,10.71,NA,10.71,,0.78,21.14,21.14,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,56768750,,Create tear duct drain,A,,9.85,11.75,NA,11.75,,0.82,22.42,22.42,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,56868760,,Close tear duct opening,A,,1.74,4.69,,1.94,,0.14,6.57,3.82,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,56968761,,Close tear duct opening,A,,1.37,2.85,,1.66,,0.07,4.29,3.10,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,57068770,,Close tear system fistula,A,,8.08,7.31,NA,7.31,,0.64,16.03,16.03,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,57168801,,Dilate tear duct opening,A,,0.80,1.98,,1.30,,0.05,2.83,2.15,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00