No office rate
Choose 21060 for excision of TMJ disc tissue. Choose 21050 when the operation removes the mandibular condyle.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
21060 TMJ meniscectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Washington
Reports surgical removal of part or all of a temporomandibular joint disc when operative treatment requires excision of the joint’s meniscus. Compare 21060 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Washington.
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 21060 in Washington?
Washington 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
$725.85–$795.16
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.
Oral surgery
About 21060: Temporomandibular joint meniscectomy
Reports surgical removal of part or all of a temporomandibular joint disc when operative treatment requires excision of the joint’s meniscus.
Code 21060 covers surgical removal of part or all of the articular disc, or meniscus, in a temporomandibular joint. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons commonly perform this operation for a symptomatic or damaged TMJ disc when treatment requires excising disc tissue. The operative report should identify the treated joint, the extent of removal, relevant findings, and the clinical reason for surgery.
Report the service for the disc excision performed, distinguishing it from removal of the mandibular condyle or joint manipulation under anesthesia. CMS classifies the operation as major surgery with a 90-day global period; the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 21060
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- 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 RVU10.79 · 50%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.13 · 43%
- Malpractice RVU1.56 · 7%
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.
21060 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Washington, from the same CMS release.
$443.48–$501.01
21073 describes therapeutic manipulation of the TMJ under anesthesia. It does not represent surgical removal of the disc.
No office rate
21240 describes TMJ arthroplasty, with or without an autograft. Use 21060 when the documented service is partial or complete removal of the joint disc.
Compare 21060 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
Rest Of Washington →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$725.85
Seattle (King Cnty) →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$795.16
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21060 billing questions
How is 21060 different from removal of the mandibular condyle?
21060 is for excising the TMJ disc or meniscus. Code 21050 concerns removal of the mandibular condyle, a different joint structure.
Can 21060 be reported for manipulation of the TMJ under anesthesia?
No. 21060 represents surgical disc excision; 21073 is for therapeutic manipulation of the TMJ under anesthesia when manipulation, rather than tissue removal, is performed.
What documentation supports 21060?
The operative report should describe the TMJ treated, the disc tissue removed, whether the excision was partial or complete, and the findings and indication supporting surgery.
How should bilateral TMJ meniscectomy be reported?
When both joints are treated, report the bilateral procedure with modifier 50. CMS lists bilateral payment at 150%.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period for 21060.
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.
1,85521048,,Remove maxilla cyst complex,A,,14.34,11.05,NA,11.05,,1.76,27.15,27.15,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,85621049,,Excis uppr jaw cyst w/repair,A,,18.84,9.27,NA,9.27,,2.46,30.57,30.57,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,85721050,,Removal of jaw joint,A,,11.47,10.70,NA,10.70,,1.66,23.83,23.83,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,85821060,,Remove jaw joint cartilage,A,,10.79,9.13,NA,9.13,,1.56,21.48,21.48,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,85921070,,Remove coronoid process,A,,8.40,6.54,NA,6.54,,1.23,16.17,16.17,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,86021073,,Mnpj of tmj w/anesth,A,,3.36,9.03,,2.85,,0.48,12.87,6.69,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1,86121076,,Impres&prep surg obt prosth,A,,13.07,12.80,,4.07,,1.67,27.54,18.81,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00