No office rate
Choose 60281 when the thyroglossal duct lesion is removed with the central hyoid segment. 60280 describes the simpler excision without that step.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
60281 Duct lesion excision Medicare reimbursement rates in New Jersey
Sistrunk-type removal of a thyroglossal duct cyst or sinus, including the central hyoid segment, is reported for congenital midline neck lesions. Compare 60281 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in New Jersey.
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 60281 in New Jersey?
New Jersey 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
$559.01–$577.72
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.
Head and neck surgery
About 60281: Thyroglossal duct lesion excision
Sistrunk-type removal of a thyroglossal duct cyst or sinus, including the central hyoid segment, is reported for congenital midline neck lesions.
This operation removes a thyroglossal duct cyst or sinus and its tract along with the central portion of the hyoid bone. It is commonly performed by an otolaryngologist or head and neck surgeon for a congenital midline neck lesion, often near the hyoid; patients may be children or adults. The procedure is typically performed in an operating room, with the extent documented in the operative report.
Report this code when the duct lesion is excised with hyoid bone resection; a simple lesion excision without that step is distinguished by 60280. Documentation should identify the lesion and describe removal of the tract and central hyoid segment. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 60281
- 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 RVU8.60 · 55%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.87 · 37%
- Malpractice RVU1.26 · 8%
22
Medicare services in 2024 · #5876 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.
60281 compared with similar codes
Office rates for New Jersey, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
60200 is for a cyst or adenoma arising in the thyroid gland. 60281 is for a thyroglossal duct lesion in the midline neck.
No office rate
60210 describes partial removal of a thyroid lobe. It is not the code for excision of a thyroglossal duct lesion and its tract.
Compare 60281 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
Northern Nj →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$577.72
Rest Of New Jersey →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$559.01
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60281 billing questions
How does 60281 differ from 60280?
60281 represents removal of the thyroglossal duct lesion with the central hyoid segment. Use 60280 for the simpler excision without hyoid bone removal.
Can modifier 50 be reported for a lesion on one side?
No. The anatomy and descriptor make bilateral adjustment inappropriate for this code.
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 be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
What operative documentation supports 60281?
Document the thyroglossal duct lesion and the operative removal of its tract with the central hyoid segment. The operative details distinguish this service from simple lesion excision.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid 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.
6,70660270,,Removal of thyroid,A,,22.62,9.48,NA,9.48,,4.69,36.79,36.79,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,70760271,,Removal of thyroid,A,,17.18,7.69,NA,7.69,,3.46,28.33,28.33,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,70860280,,Remove thyroid duct lesion,A,,6.01,5.33,NA,5.33,,0.93,12.27,12.27,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,70960281,,Remove thyroid duct lesion,A,,8.60,5.87,NA,5.87,,1.26,15.73,15.73,0,090,0.09,0.82,0.09,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,71060300,,Aspir/inj thyroid cyst,A,,0.95,2.03,,0.19,,0.11,3.09,1.25,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,7116030F,,Max sterile barriers flwd,I,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,7126040F,,Appro rad ds dvcs techs docd,I,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,XXX,0.00,0.00,0.00,9,9,9,9,9,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00