0054T
No office rateBone srgry cmptr fluor image
20985 describes image-less navigation using anatomy registered during surgery. 0054T is the image-guided navigation code, associated with preoperative imaging.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
20985 Surgical navigation Medicare reimbursement rates in Maryland
Reports intraoperative computer navigation without image-based planning during a musculoskeletal operation, commonly to guide alignment in joint replacement surgery. Compare 20985 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Maryland.
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 20985 in Maryland?
Maryland has 3 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 3 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$123.67–$134.78
3 of 3 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 20985 pays more and less in Maryland
Orthopedic surgery
About 20985: Image-less musculoskeletal surgical navigation
Reports intraoperative computer navigation without image-based planning during a musculoskeletal operation, commonly to guide alignment in joint replacement surgery.
This add-on describes a surgeon’s use of computer navigation during a musculoskeletal operation without a preloaded CT or MRI image set. The system registers the patient’s anatomy during surgery and tracks instruments to help guide their position or alignment. Orthopedic surgeons commonly use this approach during joint replacement, including total knee arthroplasty, in hospital operating rooms and ambulatory surgical settings.
Report 20985 with the primary operation for which the navigation was used, not by itself. The operative record should identify the musculoskeletal procedure and support that image-less computer navigation was performed, such as intraoperative anatomy registration and instrument tracking. Medicare treats 20985 as an add-on: it is billed with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure’s global period. The navigation service supplements the operative work; the primary code still identifies the surgery performed.
CMS billing rules for 20985
- Global period
- Add-on code: billed only together with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure's global period.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU2.44 · 66%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.77 · 21%
- Malpractice RVU0.50 · 13%
86.8K
Medicare services in 2024 · #604 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.
20985 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Maryland, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
27447 reports the total knee replacement itself. Add 20985 only when image-less computer navigation is also used during that operation.
No office rate
27130 reports total hip arthroplasty, not navigation. 20985 is an add-on when image-less navigation is used during the hip procedure.
Compare 20985 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.
3 of 3 payment localities
Baltimore/Surr. Cntys →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$131.06
Dc + Md/Va Suburbs →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$134.78
Rest Of Maryland →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$123.67
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20985 billing questions
When should 20985 be chosen over image-guided navigation?
Use 20985 for image-less navigation, where the system registers anatomy during surgery rather than relying on a preloaded CT or MRI image set. Code 0054T describes the image-guided navigation approach.
Can 20985 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with the primary musculoskeletal operation for which navigation was used.
What documentation supports 20985?
The operative record should identify the primary surgery and document the use of image-less computer navigation, including relevant registration or instrument-tracking activity.
Is 20985 the code for the joint replacement itself?
No. The primary code reports the replacement, such as 27447 for total knee arthroplasty; 20985 reports the image-less navigation used during that operation.
How does Medicare treat payment for 20985?
Medicare treats it as an add-on billed with a primary procedure, with payment made within that procedure’s global period.
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.
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