$366.36
Choose 65435 for epithelial removal with or without chemical cauterization. Choose 65436 when the documented procedure also includes scraping of Bowman’s membrane.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
65435 Corneal treatment Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Reports therapeutic removal of corneal epithelium, commonly for recurrent corneal erosion, with chemical cauterization optional. Compare 65435 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Kentucky.
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 65435 in Kentucky?
Kentucky 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
$77.63
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$57.14
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
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.
Ophthalmology
About 65435: Corneal epithelial debridement
Reports therapeutic removal of corneal epithelium, commonly for recurrent corneal erosion, with chemical cauterization optional.
An ophthalmologist removes the corneal surface epithelium to help treat a condition such as recurrent corneal erosion; chemical cauterization may also be performed. The service is typically done in an eye-care setting, including an office or facility. It is therapeutic treatment of the corneal surface, not collection of a specimen for diagnostic testing or excision of a separate corneal lesion.
Report the service when the documented treatment consists of epithelial removal, with or without chemical cauterization. If the procedure also includes scraping of Bowman’s membrane, distinguish the service from the related code 65436. Documentation should identify the treated eye, the clinical indication, and the work performed. This is a minor procedure with a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. For bilateral treatment, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in one 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 65435
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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 RVU0.90 · 36%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.53 · 61%
- Malpractice RVU0.07 · 3%
8.2K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1580 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.
65435 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
$108.14
65430 is diagnostic scraping to collect corneal material for smear or culture; 65435 is therapeutic removal of the epithelium.
$133.38
65410 represents corneal biopsy for diagnostic tissue sampling. 65435 treats the corneal surface by removing epithelium.
$648.51
65400 is for excision of a corneal lesion. Use 65435 when the documented treatment is epithelial removal, not excision of a separate lesion.
Compare 65435 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
Kentucky →
Office / nonfacility
$77.63
Facility
$57.14
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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 65435 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
7,323
- Code
- 65435
- Physician work
- 0.90
- Practice expense
- 1.53
- Malpractice
- 0.07
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.90 | × 1.000 | 0.9000 |
| Practice expense | 1.53 | × 0.889 | 1.3602 |
| Malpractice | 0.07 | × 0.915 | 0.0641 |
| Total RVUs | 2.3242 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Kentucky$77.63
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.9 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 1.53 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 0.07 | 0.915 |
(0.9 × 1 + 1.53 × 0.889 + 0.07 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $77.63
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.9 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.84 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 0.07 | 0.915 |
(0.9 × 1 + 0.84 × 0.889 + 0.07 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $57.14
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.
65435 billing questions
When should 65435 be chosen over 65436?
Use 65435 for therapeutic corneal epithelial removal, with or without chemical cauterization. Code 65436 is the related choice when the procedure also includes scraping of Bowman’s membrane.
Is 65435 used for a diagnostic corneal scraping?
No. Code 65435 describes therapeutic epithelial removal. Code 65430 is used for corneal scraping to obtain material for smear or culture.
What same-day care is included?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
How is bilateral treatment reported?
Report bilateral treatment with modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
How does payment work when other procedures are performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and the other procedures are paid at 50% under the standard multiple procedure reduction.
Can an assistant, co-surgeon, or surgical team be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted for this service. 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.
7,32065420,,Removal of eye lesion,A,,4.25,11.58,,5.42,,0.35,16.18,10.02,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,32165426,,Removal of eye lesion,A,,5.90,13.72,,6.01,,0.46,20.08,12.37,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,32265430,,Corneal smear,A,,1.43,1.92,,1.02,,0.11,3.46,2.56,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,32365435,,Curette/treat cornea,A,,0.90,1.53,,0.84,,0.07,2.50,1.81,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,32465436,,Curette/treat cornea,A,,4.70,6.66,,4.44,,0.38,11.74,9.52,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,32565450,,Treatment of corneal lesion,A,,3.38,6.38,,5.01,,0.26,10.02,8.65,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,32665600,,Revision of cornea,A,,4.10,8.81,,4.55,,0.33,13.24,8.98,0,090,0.10,0.70,0.20,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
5814112,ME,03,SOUTHERN MAINE,1.000,0.991,0.631