$90.39
Use 68801 for dilation of the lacrimal punctum. Use 68840 when the procedure probes the canaliculus beyond the punctal opening.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
68840 Tear duct probing Medicare reimbursement rates in Utah
Probing the lacrimal canaliculi, with or without irrigation, evaluates or treats a blockage in the small tear-drainage channels near the eyelid. Compare 68840 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Utah.
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 68840 in Utah?
Utah has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$128.63
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Utah
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$100.69
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Utah
One mapped payment locality.
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.
Ophthalmology procedure
About 68840: Lacrimal canaliculus probing
Probing the lacrimal canaliculi, with or without irrigation, evaluates or treats a blockage in the small tear-drainage channels near the eyelid.
An ophthalmologist, often an oculoplastic surgeon, passes a probe through the lacrimal punctum into a canaliculus to assess or relieve an obstruction. Irrigation may be performed as part of the service. The procedure is used for problems such as tearing associated with suspected canalicular narrowing or blockage, and may be performed in an office procedure room or an operating room depending on the patient and clinical circumstances.
Report 68840 when the treated structure is a lacrimal canaliculus, rather than the nasolacrimal duct. Document the affected side, the clinical indication, and the probing performed; irrigation does not require a separate code. CMS assigns a 10-day global period, so related postoperative visits during that period are included. For bilateral treatment, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 68840
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 10-day global period: related postoperative visits for 10 days 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 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 RVU1.27 · 32%
- Practice expense (office) RVU2.66 · 66%
- Malpractice RVU0.09 · 2%
30K
Medicare services in 2024 · #975 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.
68840 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Utah, from the same CMS release.
$153.86
Code 68810 addresses probing of the nasolacrimal duct; 68840 addresses probing of the lacrimal canaliculi.
No office rate
Code 68811 is for nasolacrimal duct probing requiring general anesthesia. It is not the canalicular probing service reported with 68840.
$355.68
Code 68815 includes insertion of a tube or stent during nasolacrimal duct probing. Code 68840 describes canalicular probing without that duct-stenting service.
Compare 68840 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.
1 of 1 payment localities
Utah →
Office / nonfacility
$128.63
Facility
$100.69
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 68840 in Utah.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
7,576
- Code
- 68840
- Physician work
- 1.27
- Practice expense
- 2.66
- Malpractice
- 0.09
GPCI2026.csv
104
- Locality
- Utah
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.940
- Malpractice
- 0.898
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 1.27 | × 1.000 | 1.2700 |
| Practice expense | 2.66 | × 0.940 | 2.5004 |
| Malpractice | 0.09 | × 0.898 | 0.0808 |
| Total RVUs | 3.8512 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Utah$128.63
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.27 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 2.66 | 0.94 |
| Malpractice | 0.09 | 0.898 |
(1.27 × 1 + 2.66 × 0.94 + 0.09 × 0.898) × $33.4009 = $128.63
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.27 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 1.77 | 0.94 |
| Malpractice | 0.09 | 0.898 |
(1.27 × 1 + 1.77 × 0.94 + 0.09 × 0.898) × $33.4009 = $100.69
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
68840 billing questions
When should 68840 be chosen over 68810?
Use 68840 when probing the lacrimal canaliculi. Code 68810 is for probing the nasolacrimal duct, a different part of the tear-drainage pathway.
Is irrigation separately reported with 68840?
No. Irrigation may be part of the canalicular probing service and is not separately reported as an additional service under this code.
How is bilateral canalicular probing reported?
Report modifier 50 for bilateral treatment. CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150% of the single-side amount.
Are related postoperative visits included?
Yes. The 10-day global period includes related postoperative visits during those 10 days.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted for this code. 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.
7,57368811,,Probe nasolacrimal duct,A,,1.70,1.67,NA,1.67,,0.15,3.52,3.52,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,57468815,,Probe nasolacrimal duct,A,,2.63,8.33,,2.94,,0.21,11.17,5.78,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,57568816,,Probe nl duct w/balloon,A,,2.05,22.69,,1.80,,0.16,24.90,4.01,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,57668840,,Explore/irrigate tear ducts,A,,1.27,2.66,,1.77,,0.09,4.02,3.13,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,57768841,,Insj rx elut implt lac canal,A,,0.48,0.64,,0.30,,0.04,1.16,0.82,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,57868850,,Injection for tear sac x-ray,A,,0.78,0.84,,0.52,,0.07,1.69,1.37,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7,57968899,,Unlisted px lacrimal system,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,YYY,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
10104412,TX,15,GALVESTON,1.008,0.993,0.828
10204412,TX,18,HOUSTON,1.008,0.993,1.376
10304412,TX,99,REST OF TEXAS,1.000,0.949,0.903
10403502,UT,09,UTAH,1.000,0.940,0.898
10514512,VT,50,VERMONT,1.000,0.990,0.506
10611302,VA,00,VIRGINIA,1.000,0.983,0.706
10709202,VI,50,VIRGIN ISLANDS,1.000,1.011,0.985