No office rate
20690 describes a uniplane frame. Choose 20692 when the pins or wires are placed in more than one plane.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
20692 External fixation Medicare reimbursement rates in Maine
Reports surgical application of a unilateral multiplane external fixation system, such as a ring frame, to stabilize a fracture or correct a bone deformity. Compare 20692 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Maine.
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 20692 in Maine?
Maine has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$976.56–$1007.23
2 of 2 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.
Orthopedic surgery
About 20692: Unilateral multiplane external fixation application
Reports surgical application of a unilateral multiplane external fixation system, such as a ring frame, to stabilize a fracture or correct a bone deformity.
An orthopedic surgeon applies this external fixation system when pins or wires are positioned in more than one plane to stabilize bone. Common settings include the operating room for complex fractures, limb deformity correction, or bone lengthening; an Ilizarov-type ring frame is a familiar example. The code distinguishes multiplane construction from a uniplane frame and describes application to one side.
Documentation should identify the treated bone and side, the indication, and the multiplane pin-or-wire arrangement. Report application rather than a later adjustment, revision, or removal service. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and other procedures at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this unilateral service. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 20692
- 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU15.86 · 51%
- Practice expense (office) RVU12.56 · 40%
- Malpractice RVU2.93 · 9%
3.6K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2066 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.
20692 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Maine, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
20696 is for multiplane external fixation with stereotactic computer-assisted adjustment; 20692 describes multiplane application without that feature.
No office rate
20693 reports adjustment or revision of an external fixation system under anesthesia, not initial frame application.
$428.26–$449.53
20694 reports removal of an external fixation system under anesthesia, rather than its application.
Compare 20692 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Rest Of Maine →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$976.56
Southern Maine →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1007.23
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20692 billing questions
How does 20692 differ from 20690?
Use 20692 for a frame with pins or wires arranged in more than one plane. Code 20690 describes a uniplane arrangement.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. The unilateral service and its anatomy make the bilateral adjustment inappropriate.
What documentation supports the multiplane code?
Document the bone and side treated, the reason for fixation, and the pin-or-wire configuration showing placement in multiple planes.
Is adjustment or removal included in the application code?
The application code reports placement of the frame. A later adjustment or revision under anesthesia and removal under anesthesia have distinct codes, 20693 and 20694.
How does the global period affect related postoperative care?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is 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.
1,78220670,,Removal implant superficial,A,,1.75,9.07,,2.17,,0.27,11.09,4.19,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,78320680,,Removal of implant deep,A,,5.81,12.05,,4.94,,1.06,18.92,11.81,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,78420690,,Appl unipln uni ext fixj sys,A,,8.56,6.05,NA,6.05,,1.73,16.34,16.34,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,78520692,,Appl mltpln uni ext fixj sys,A,,15.86,12.56,NA,12.56,,2.93,31.35,31.35,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,78620693,,Adjmt/revj ext fixj sys anes,A,,5.91,5.91,NA,5.91,,1.05,12.87,12.87,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,78720694,,Rmvl ext fixj sys under anes,A,,4.17,8.87,,4.87,,0.79,13.83,9.83,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,78820696,,App mltpln uni xtrnl fix 1st,A,,17.12,11.66,NA,11.66,,3.01,31.79,31.79,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00