No office rate
16035 reports the initial escharotomy incision. Use 16036 only for incision(s) performed beyond that first incision.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
16036 Escharotomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Pennsylvania
Reports each escharotomy incision beyond the first, performed to release constricting burn eschar and relieve pressure on underlying tissue. Compare 16036 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Pennsylvania.
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 16036 in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania 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
$71.78–$77.20
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.
Burn surgery
About 16036: Each additional escharotomy incision
Reports each escharotomy incision beyond the first, performed to release constricting burn eschar and relieve pressure on underlying tissue.
Escharotomy releases tight, inelastic burn eschar with an incision so the burn does not continue to restrict tissue expansion. It is typically performed by a surgeon or burn specialist in an acute-care setting when circumferential burns compromise limb perfusion or limit chest expansion. Code 16036 represents an incision beyond the first incision; the initial incision is reported separately with the primary escharotomy code.
Report the additional incision count supported by the operative note, which should identify the sites and describe the separate releases performed. This is an add-on code and must be billed with the primary procedure; CMS pays it within that procedure’s global period. Do not use it to represent the initial incision or simply the length of one incision. The record should distinguish each additional incision from the first and support that each was part of the escharotomy.
CMS billing rules for 16036
- 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 RVU1.46 · 66%
- Practice expense (office) RVU0.38 · 17%
- Malpractice RVU0.36 · 16%
350
Medicare services in 2024 · #3860 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.
16036 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Pennsylvania, from the same CMS release.
$87.24–$96.74
16020 describes burn dressing or debridement for a small partial-thickness burn; it does not represent an escharotomy incision.
$156.98–$172.53
16025 describes burn dressing or debridement for a medium partial-thickness burn. Choose 16036 for an additional escharotomy incision, not wound care.
$202.18–$223.15
16030 describes burn dressing or debridement for a large partial-thickness burn. It is distinct from reporting additional escharotomy incisions.
Compare 16036 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
Metropolitan Philadelphia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$77.20
Rest Of Pennsylvania →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$71.78
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16036 billing questions
When should 16036 be reported instead of 16035?
Use 16035 for the first escharotomy incision. Report 16036 for each additional incision performed during the procedure.
Can 16036 be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with the primary escharotomy procedure, 16035.
How many units should be reported?
Report the number of additional incisions beyond the first. The operative note should identify and support each separate incision.
Does the global-period rule affect payment for 16036?
Yes. CMS pays this add-on code within the primary procedure’s global period.
Is 16036 for burn dressing or debridement?
No. It represents an additional escharotomy incision, not burn dressing or debridement.
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.
1,61516025,,Dress/debrid p-thick burn m,A,,1.70,2.99,,1.08,,0.27,4.96,3.05,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,61616030,,Dress/debrid p-thick burn l,A,,2.03,3.94,,1.22,,0.43,6.40,3.68,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,61716035,,Escharotomy 1st incision,A,,3.65,1.05,NA,1.05,,0.65,5.35,5.35,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,61816036,,Escharotomy ea addl incision,A,,1.46,0.38,NA,0.38,,0.36,2.20,2.20,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,61917000,,Destruct premalg lesion,A,,0.59,1.34,,0.78,,0.06,1.99,1.43,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,62017003,,Destruct premalg les 2-14,A,,0.04,0.15,,0.01,,0.00,0.19,0.05,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,62117004,,Destroy premal lesions 15/>,A,,1.34,3.39,,1.01,,0.13,4.86,2.48,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00