$57.58–$62.83
Use 20550 for an injection into a tendon sheath or ligament. Use 20526 when the injection targets the carpal tunnel.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
20526 Injection Medicare reimbursement rates in Pennsylvania
Report this service when medication is injected into the carpal tunnel to treat symptoms associated with median nerve compression at the wrist. Compare 20526 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 20526 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
$83.62–$91.95
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$48.05–$51.62
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.
Musculoskeletal procedures
About 20526: Therapeutic carpal tunnel injection
Report this service when medication is injected into the carpal tunnel to treat symptoms associated with median nerve compression at the wrist.
A clinician injects medication, commonly a corticosteroid, into the carpal tunnel to treat symptoms such as pain, tingling, or numbness associated with median nerve compression. The service is typically performed by a physician or other qualified practitioner in an office or outpatient facility. The injection targets the carpal tunnel; it is not an injection into a tendon sheath or a surgical release of the tunnel.
Report the code for the treated wrist and document the indication, side, and injection performed. For treatment of both wrists, modifier 50 is paid at 150% under the CMS bilateral rule. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 20526
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU0.92 · 35%
- Practice expense (office) RVU1.55 · 59%
- Malpractice RVU0.17 · 6%
81.5K
Medicare services in 2024 · #623 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.
20526 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Pennsylvania, from the same CMS release.
$89.32–$98.26
20527 describes injection of an enzyme into a palmar fascial cord, typically for Dupuytren contracture; 20526 targets the carpal tunnel.
$76.26–$83.94
64450 describes injection of an anesthetic agent into a peripheral nerve or branch. Choose based on the documented target and service, not simply wrist symptoms.
$457.24–$503.73
64721 is a surgical release of the carpal tunnel. It represents operative treatment, not a therapeutic injection.
Compare 20526 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
$91.95
Facility
$51.62
Rest Of Pennsylvania →
Office / nonfacility
$83.62
Facility
$48.05
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20526 billing questions
When should I choose this code instead of 20550?
Use 20526 when the medication is injected into the carpal tunnel. Code 20550 describes an injection into a tendon sheath or ligament, such as for a tendon-related condition.
Can I report this code for injections in both wrists?
Yes. Report the bilateral service with modifier 50; CMS pays it at 150% under the bilateral rule.
Is same-day follow-up care included?
Yes. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
How does the multiple procedure reduction affect this service?
When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and the others at 50%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
Can the medication be reported separately?
The procedure code describes the injection service. The administered drug may be separately reported with an applicable drug code when reporting requirements are met.
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.
1,7542050F,,Wound char size etc 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
1,75520520,,Rmvl fb musc/tdn simple,A,,1.85,4.76,,2.13,,0.27,6.88,4.25,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,75620525,,Rmvl fb musc/tdn deep/comp,A,,3.45,10.77,,2.87,,0.66,14.88,6.98,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,75720526,,Ther injection carp tunnel,A,,0.92,1.55,,0.39,,0.17,2.64,1.48,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,75820527,,Njx nzm palmar fascial cord,A,,0.98,1.65,,0.58,,0.19,2.82,1.75,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,75920550,,Njx 1 tendon sheath/ligament,A,,0.73,0.99,,0.18,,0.09,1.81,1.00,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,76020551,,Njx 1 tendon origin/insj,A,,0.73,1.00,,0.18,,0.08,1.81,0.99,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00