20606 Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us
What 20606 is
CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us.
Full CPT long descriptions are licensed by the American Medical Association and are not published on this site; the short descriptor above is the one CMS prints in its own fee schedule file. See About CPT.
Medicare payment for 20606 (CY2026)
| Work RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 0.98 | 1.72 | 0.12 | 2.82 | $94.19 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 0.98 | 0.24 | 0.12 | 1.34 | $44.76 |
National rates: total RVUs x the CY2026 conversion factor of 33.4009 (non-QP), before geographic adjustment. Actual Medicare payment is 80% of the rate shown after the deductible; the patient or secondary payer owes the 20% coinsurance.
Status: Active - payable under the Physician Fee Schedule. Global period: Global concept does not apply (endoscopic or minor procedure: global period is the day of the procedure).
Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)
Medicare caps 20606 at 2 units per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 3 - date of service edit (clinical): units above the MUE may pay with documentation on appeal), rationale: Clinical: Data. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.
Billed with 20606? These codes are bundled into it
20606 is a Column 1 code in 278 active NCCI PTP edits. When one of these Column 2 codes is reported on the same date of service, it is denied as bundled - unless the edit's modifier indicator is 1 and documentation supports a distinct service with an NCCI-associated modifier.
| Column 2 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
00400 | Anes integumentary sys nos | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
01380 | Anes all clsd px knee joint | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
0213T | Njx paravert w/us cer/thor | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
0216T | Njx paravert w/us lumb/sac | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
0232T | Njx platelet plasma | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
0481T | Njx autol wbc concentrate | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
0596T | Temp fml iu vlv-pmp 1st insj | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
0597T | Temp fml iu valve-pmp rplcmt | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
0903T | Ecg alg 12 lead reduced i&r | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
0904T | Ecg alg 12 ld rdcd trcg only | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
0905T | Ecg alg 12 ld rdcd i&r only | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
10030 | Img gid flu coll drg sft tis | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
10060 | I&d abscess simple/single | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
10061 | I&d abscess comp/multiple | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
10140 | I&d hmtma seroma/fluid collj | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
10160 | Pnxr aspir absc hmtma bulla | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
11900 | Inject skin lesions </w 7 | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
12001 | Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trnk 2.5cm/< | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
12002 | Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trnk2.6-7.5cm | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
12004 | Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trk7.6-12.5cm | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
12005 | Rpr s/n/a/gen/trk12.6-20.0cm | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
12006 | Rpr s/n/a/gen/trk20.1-30.0cm | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
12007 | Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trnk >30.0 cm | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
12011 | Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 2.5 cm/< | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
12013 | Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 2.6-5.0 cm | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
12014 | Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 5.1-7.5 cm | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
12015 | Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 7.6-12.5 cm | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
12016 | Rpr fe/e/en/l/m 12.6-20.0 cm | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
12017 | Rpr fe/e/en/l/m 20.1-30.0 cm | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
12018 | Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m >30.0 cm | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
Showing 30 of 278 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.
20606 is bundled into these codes
20606 appears as a Column 2 code in 425 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 20606 is the code that denies.
| Column 1 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
0335T | Insj sinus tarsi implant | 1 | Check pair |
0489T | Regn cell tx scldr hands | 1 | Check pair |
0490T | Regn cell tx scldr h mlt inj | 1 | Check pair |
0510T | Rmvl sinus tarsi implant | 1 | Check pair |
0511T | Rmvl&rinsj sinus tarsi implt | 1 | Check pair |
0656T | Ant lmbr vrt bdy teth <7 seg | 1 | Check pair |
0657T | Ant lmbr vrt bdy teth 8+ seg | 1 | Check pair |
0717T | Adrc ther prtl rc tear | 1 | Check pair |
0718T | Adrc ther prtl rc tear njx | 1 | Check pair |
11010 | Debride skin at fx site | 1 | Check pair |
21073 | Mnpj of tmj w/anesth | 1 | Check pair |
21240 | Reconstruction of jaw joint | 1 | Check pair |
21242 | Reconstruction of jaw joint | 1 | Check pair |
21243 | Reconstruction of jaw joint | 1 | Check pair |
22532 | Arthrd lat xtrcvtry tq thrc | 1 | Check pair |
Data: CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule RVU file (October release, RVU26D) and Medicare NCCI PTP practitioner edits v32.3 (2026 Q4). Verify against the official files before billing or contracting decisions.