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20985 Cptr-asst dir ms px

What 20985 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Cptr-asst dir ms px.

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 20985 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)2.440.770.503.71$123.92
Facility (hospital, ASC)2.440.770.503.71$123.92

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: Add-on code: global period of the primary procedure applies.

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Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)

Medicare caps 20985 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 20985? These codes are bundled into it

20985 is a Column 1 code in 42 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 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
0213TNjx paravert w/us cer/thor1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0216TNjx paravert w/us lumb/sac1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
36000Place needle in vein1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
36410Vnpnxr 3yr/> phy/qhp dx/ther1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
36591Draw blood off venous device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36592Collect blood from picc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
61650Evasc prlng admn rx agnt 1st1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
62324Njx interlaminar crv/thrc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
62325Njx interlaminar crv/thrc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
62326Njx interlaminar lmbr/sac0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
62327Njx interlaminar lmbr/sac0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
64415Njx aa&/strd brch plxs img1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64416Njx aa&/strd brch pl nfs img1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64417Njx aa&/strd ax nerve img1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64450Njx aa&/strd other pn/branch1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64454Njx aa&/strd gnclr nrv brnch1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64473Lwr xtr fscl pln blk uni njx1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64474Lwr xtr fscl pln blk uni nfs1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64486Tap block unil by injection1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64487Tap block uni by infusion1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64488Tap block bi injection1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64489Tap block bi by infusion1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64490Inj paravert f jnt c/t 1 lev1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64493Inj paravert f jnt l/s 1 lev1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
69990Microsurgery add-on0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
76000Fluoroscopy <1 hr phys/qhp1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
76380Cat scan follow-up study1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
76942Echo guide for biopsy1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
76998Us guide intraop1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77001Fluoroguide for vein device1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair

Showing 30 of 42 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.

20985 is bundled into these codes

20985 appears as a Column 2 code in 3 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 20985 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
61781Scan proc cranial intra1Check pair
61782Scan proc cranial extra1Check pair
61783Scan proc spinal1Check 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.