$210.06
Both address foreign-body removal from muscle or tendon. Choose 20525 for deep or complicated retrieval and 20520 for simple removal.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
20525 Foreign body removal Medicare reimbursement rates in Kansas
Reports operative removal of a foreign object embedded deeply in muscle or tendon when retrieval requires more than a simple extraction. Compare 20525 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Kansas.
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 20525 in Kansas?
Kansas has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$451.54
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kansas
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$213.00
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kansas
One mapped payment locality.
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.
Surgical procedure
About 20525: Deep foreign body removal from muscle or tendon
Reports operative removal of a foreign object embedded deeply in muscle or tendon when retrieval requires more than a simple extraction.
This service covers surgical retrieval of an object embedded in muscle or tendon, such as a deeply lodged splinter or fragment. A physician makes the necessary exposure and dissection to locate and remove it. The procedure may be performed in an office procedure room, emergency setting, or operating room, depending on the object’s location and the difficulty of access.
Choose this code when the object is deep in muscle or tendon, or its removal is complicated; document the anatomic site, depth, and work needed to retrieve it. Use 20520 for a simple removal from muscle or tendon, and consider the subcutaneous foreign-body codes when the object remains in that tissue layer. The 10-day global period includes related postoperative visits during those 10 days. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 20525
- 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- 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 RVU3.45 · 23%
- Practice expense (office) RVU10.77 · 72%
- Malpractice RVU0.66 · 4%
1.5K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2701 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.
20525 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kansas, from the same CMS release.
$144.16
10120 is for simple removal from subcutaneous tissue. Use 20525 when the object is embedded in muscle or tendon and removal is deep or complicated.
$252.29
10121 describes complicated removal from subcutaneous tissue. The tissue layer distinguishes it from deep or complicated removal from muscle or tendon under 20525.
Compare 20525 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.
1 of 1 payment localities
Kansas →
Office / nonfacility
$451.54
Facility
$213.00
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 20525 in Kansas.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
1,756
- Code
- 20525
- Physician work
- 3.45
- Practice expense
- 10.77
- Malpractice
- 0.66
GPCI2026.csv
54
- Locality
- Kansas
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.904
- Malpractice
- 0.504
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 3.45 | × 1.000 | 3.4500 |
| Practice expense | 10.77 | × 0.904 | 9.7361 |
| Malpractice | 0.66 | × 0.504 | 0.3326 |
| Total RVUs | 13.5187 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Kansas$451.54
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 3.45 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 10.77 | 0.904 |
| Malpractice | 0.66 | 0.504 |
(3.45 × 1 + 10.77 × 0.904 + 0.66 × 0.504) × $33.4009 = $451.54
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 3.45 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 2.87 | 0.904 |
| Malpractice | 0.66 | 0.504 |
(3.45 × 1 + 2.87 × 0.904 + 0.66 × 0.504) × $33.4009 = $213.00
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
20525 billing questions
How do I distinguish 20525 from 20520?
Use 20525 for a deep or complicated removal from muscle or tendon. Use 20520 when removal from those tissues is simple.
When should a subcutaneous foreign-body code be considered instead?
Consider 10120 or 10121 when the object is in subcutaneous tissue rather than embedded in muscle or tendon. The documented tissue layer and complexity guide code selection.
Are related postoperative visits separately reported?
Related postoperative visits during the 10-day global period are included in the procedure.
Can modifier 50 be used for removal on both sides?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
Can an assistant, co-surgeon, or surgical team be billed?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What documentation supports reporting 20525?
Document the foreign body's location in muscle or tendon, its depth, and why retrieval was deep or complicated rather than simple.
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.
1,75320501,,Njx sinus tract diagnostic,A,,0.74,3.25,,0.12,,0.07,4.06,0.93,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,7542050F,,Wound char size etc docd,I,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,75520520,,Rmvl fb musc/tdn simple,A,,1.85,4.76,,2.13,,0.27,6.88,4.25,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,75620525,,Rmvl fb musc/tdn deep/comp,A,,3.45,10.77,,2.87,,0.66,14.88,6.98,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,75720526,,Ther injection carp tunnel,A,,0.92,1.55,,0.39,,0.17,2.64,1.48,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,75820527,,Njx nzm palmar fascial cord,A,,0.98,1.65,,0.58,,0.19,2.82,1.75,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,75920550,,Njx 1 tendon sheath/ligament,A,,0.73,0.99,,0.18,,0.09,1.81,1.00,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
5106102,IL,99,REST OF ILLINOIS,1.000,0.913,1.563
5208102,IN,00,INDIANA,1.000,0.927,0.486
5305102,IA,00,IOWA,1.000,0.915,0.397
5405202,KS,00,KANSAS,1.000,0.904,0.504
5515102,KY,00,KENTUCKY,1.000,0.889,0.915
5607202,LA,01,NEW ORLEANS,1.000,0.941,1.136
5707202,LA,99,REST OF LOUISIANA,1.000,0.885,0.958