55875 is specific to transperineal placement into the prostate. Use 55920 for the pelvic-organ or genital targets described by this code.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
55920 Needle placement Medicare reimbursement rates in Missouri
Reports surgical placement of needles or catheters in pelvic organs or genital structures to prepare for interstitial radiation source application. Compare 55920 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Missouri.
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 55920 in Missouri?
Missouri 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
$371.02–$379.81
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 55920 pays more and less in Missouri
Radiation oncology
About 55920: Pelvic interstitial brachytherapy needle placement
Reports surgical placement of needles or catheters in pelvic organs or genital structures to prepare for interstitial radiation source application.
This service places needles or catheters in pelvic organs or genital structures in preparation for interstitial radiation. Target areas can include vaginal, perineal, urethral, or rectal tissue. A surgeon performs the placement, commonly a gynecologic oncologist or urologist depending on the anatomy and treatment plan, often in an operating room. The radiation oncologist coordinates the planned source application; placement itself is not radiation delivery.
Choose the code when the documented work is pelvic needle or catheter placement for subsequent interstitial treatment, rather than an intracavitary applicator or a prostate-specific placement. The operative report should identify the target anatomy, placement performed, and connection to the planned radiation treatment. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur 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. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 55920
- 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU8.10 · 70%
- Practice expense (office) RVU2.71 · 24%
- Malpractice RVU0.69 · 6%
760
Medicare services in 2024 · #3200 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.
55920 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Missouri, from the same CMS release.
57155 concerns intracavitary placement of a uterine or vaginal applicator. 55920 describes interstitial needle or catheter placement in pelvic tissue.
77778 describes complex interstitial radiation source application, while 55920 concerns pelvic needle or catheter placement. Review the documented work and code instructions before reporting both.
Compare 55920 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
Metropolitan Kansas City →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$378.06
Metropolitan St. Louis →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$379.81
Rest Of Missouri →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$371.02
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55920 billing questions
How does 55920 differ from prostate needle placement?
Use 55920 for the described pelvic-organ or genital placement for interstitial radiation. Code 55875 is the prostate-specific placement service.
Is this the radiation source application?
No. This code represents needle or catheter placement for subsequent interstitial treatment, not delivery of the radioactive source.
When is modifier 50 appropriate?
It is not appropriate for 55920; CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inapplicable to this code.
What documentation supports reporting 55920?
Document the pelvic target, the needle or catheter placement performed, and its purpose in the interstitial radiation plan.
Can an assistant-at-surgery be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when medical necessity is documented. 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.
