No office rate
Choose 68500 for complete gland removal and 68505 when only part of the gland is excised.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
68500 Lacrimal gland surgery Medicare reimbursement rates in Kansas
Report complete surgical removal of a lacrimal gland when the operation removes the gland rather than taking a sample or removing only part. Compare 68500 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 68500 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
No supported rate
Facility setting
$859.19
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.
Ophthalmic surgery
About 68500: Complete lacrimal gland excision
Report complete surgical removal of a lacrimal gland when the operation removes the gland rather than taking a sample or removing only part.
This code represents complete surgical removal of a lacrimal gland, the tear-producing gland located in the upper outer portion of the orbit. An ophthalmologist, commonly an oculoplastic surgeon, performs the operation when the gland itself must be removed; it is distinct from taking a diagnostic sample or excising only part of the gland. The operative report should identify the gland and side, explain the clinical reason for removal, and describe the extent of excision.
Medicare assigns a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. 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% reduction. For bilateral surgery reported with modifier 50, payment is at 150%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted. Documentation should make clear that the gland was completely removed, rather than partially excised or biopsied.
CMS billing rules for 68500
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care 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 RVU12.45 · 45%
- Practice expense (office) RVU14.12 · 51%
- Malpractice RVU1.01 · 4%
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.
68500 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kansas, from the same CMS release.
Compare 68500 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
Unavailable
Facility
$859.19
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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 68500 in Kansas.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
7,555
- Code
- 68500
- Physician work
- 12.45
- Practice expense
- 14.12
- Malpractice
- 1.01
GPCI2026.csv
54
- Locality
- Kansas
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.904
- Malpractice
- 0.504
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 12.45 | × 1.000 | 12.4500 |
| Practice expense | 14.12 | × 0.904 | 12.7645 |
| Malpractice | 1.01 | × 0.504 | 0.5090 |
| Total RVUs | 25.7235 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Kansas$859.19
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 12.45 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 14.12 | 0.904 |
| Malpractice | 1.01 | 0.504 |
(12.45 × 1 + 14.12 × 0.904 + 1.01 × 0.504) × $33.4009 = $859.19
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.
68500 billing questions
When should 68500 be chosen instead of 68505?
Use 68500 when the operation removes the entire lacrimal gland. Use 68505 for partial gland removal, and document the extent excised.
Can a diagnostic gland sample be reported as 68500?
No. A procedure limited to obtaining tissue for diagnosis is a biopsy, represented by 68510; 68500 describes complete gland removal.
How is bilateral gland removal reported?
Report bilateral surgery with modifier 50. CMS pays this bilateral procedure at 150%.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be paid?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 68500. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction, with payment at 50%.
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.
7,55268400,,I&d lacrimal gland,A,,1.70,7.02,,1.54,,0.14,8.86,3.38,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,55368420,,I&d lacrimal sac,A,,2.29,7.43,,1.75,,0.18,9.90,4.22,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,55468440,,Snip inc lacrimal punctum,A,,0.97,2.14,,1.68,,0.07,3.18,2.72,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,55568500,,Removal of tear gland,A,,12.45,14.12,NA,14.12,,1.01,27.58,27.58,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,55668505,,Partial removal tear gland,A,,12.37,14.10,NA,14.10,,1.00,27.47,27.47,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,55768510,,Biopsy of tear gland,A,,4.49,8.65,,2.18,,0.36,13.50,7.03,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,55868520,,Removal of tear sac,A,,8.56,10.00,NA,10.00,,0.71,19.27,19.27,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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