No office rate
60000 drains an infected thyroglossal duct cyst; 60280 represents excision of the cyst or sinus rather than drainage.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
60000 Cyst drainage Medicare reimbursement rates in Vermont
Operative drainage of an infected thyroglossal duct cyst is reported when a surgeon incises the congenital midline neck lesion to evacuate infection. Compare 60000 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Vermont.
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 60000 in Vermont?
Vermont 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
$181.72
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Vermont
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$140.72
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Vermont
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.
ENT surgery
About 60000: Infected thyroglossal duct cyst drainage
Operative drainage of an infected thyroglossal duct cyst is reported when a surgeon incises the congenital midline neck lesion to evacuate infection.
CPT 60000 describes operative drainage of an infected thyroglossal duct cyst, a congenital midline neck lesion that may become tender, swollen, or fluctuant. An otolaryngologist or head-and-neck surgeon, pediatric surgeon, or general surgeon typically makes an incision to release infected contents and manage the cavity. This service drains the cyst; it does not remove the cyst and duct tract. It is performed in a procedural or operating-room setting when the infection requires surgical drainage.
Report the code when the operative record identifies an infected thyroglossal duct cyst and documents incision and drainage. Drainage of a separate skin abscess is not this service, and definitive cyst excision is a different procedure. CMS assigns a 10-day global period, including related postoperative visits during that period. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 60000
- 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 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 RVU1.76 · 31%
- Practice expense (office) RVU3.59 · 64%
- Malpractice RVU0.25 · 4%
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.
60000 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Vermont, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Use 60281 for excision of a recurrent thyroglossal duct cyst or sinus. Code 60000 is for incision and drainage of an infected cyst.
$125.60
10060 is for drainage of a simple cutaneous abscess. Code 60000 identifies drainage of an infected thyroglossal duct cyst.
$213.37
10061 applies to complicated or multiple cutaneous abscesses; it does not identify drainage of an infected thyroglossal duct cyst.
Compare 60000 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
Vermont →
Office / nonfacility
$181.72
Facility
$140.72
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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 60000 in Vermont.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
6,691
- Code
- 60000
- Physician work
- 1.76
- Practice expense
- 3.59
- Malpractice
- 0.25
GPCI2026.csv
105
- Locality
- Vermont
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.990
- Malpractice
- 0.506
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 1.76 | × 1.000 | 1.7600 |
| Practice expense | 3.59 | × 0.990 | 3.5541 |
| Malpractice | 0.25 | × 0.506 | 0.1265 |
| Total RVUs | 5.4406 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Vermont$181.72
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.76 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 3.59 | 0.99 |
| Malpractice | 0.25 | 0.506 |
(1.76 × 1 + 3.59 × 0.99 + 0.25 × 0.506) × $33.4009 = $181.72
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 1.76 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 2.35 | 0.99 |
| Malpractice | 0.25 | 0.506 |
(1.76 × 1 + 2.35 × 0.99 + 0.25 × 0.506) × $33.4009 = $140.72
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.
60000 billing questions
How is drainage different from thyroglossal duct cyst excision?
60000 is for incision and drainage of an infected cyst. Excision removes the cyst and tract and is reported with a different code.
Should 60000 be reported with a general abscess drainage code?
Use 60000 for drainage of the infected thyroglossal duct cyst itself. A separate abscess at another site must be evaluated on its own.
Are postoperative visits separately payable during the global period?
Related postoperative visits during the 10-day global period are included in the procedure.
Can modifier 50 be used?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
What documentation supports assistant-at-surgery payment?
The record must document the medical necessity of the assistant. Co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted under the CMS rules for this code.
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.
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6,69160000,,I&d thyroglssl dux cst infct,A,,1.76,3.59,,2.35,,0.25,5.60,4.36,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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6,69360100,,Biopsy of thyroid,A,,1.52,1.56,,0.27,,0.17,3.25,1.96,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6,6946010F,,Dysphag test done b/4 eating,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
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
10802402,WA,02,SEATTLE (KING CNTY),1.050,1.227,0.817