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 RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 2.44 | 0.77 | 0.50 | 3.71 | $123.92 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 2.44 | 0.77 | 0.50 | 3.71 | $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.
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 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
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 |
36000 | Place needle in vein | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
36410 | Vnpnxr 3yr/> phy/qhp dx/ther | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
36591 | Draw blood off venous device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
36592 | Collect blood from picc | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
61650 | Evasc prlng admn rx agnt 1st | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
62324 | Njx interlaminar crv/thrc | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
62325 | Njx interlaminar crv/thrc | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
62326 | Njx interlaminar lmbr/sac | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
62327 | Njx interlaminar lmbr/sac | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
64415 | Njx aa&/strd brch plxs img | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
64416 | Njx aa&/strd brch pl nfs img | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
64417 | Njx aa&/strd ax nerve img | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
64450 | Njx aa&/strd other pn/branch | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
64454 | Njx aa&/strd gnclr nrv brnch | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
64473 | Lwr xtr fscl pln blk uni njx | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
64474 | Lwr xtr fscl pln blk uni nfs | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
64486 | Tap block unil by injection | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
64487 | Tap block uni by infusion | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
64488 | Tap block bi injection | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
64489 | Tap block bi by infusion | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
64490 | Inj paravert f jnt c/t 1 lev | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
64493 | Inj paravert f jnt l/s 1 lev | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
69990 | Microsurgery add-on | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
76000 | Fluoroscopy <1 hr phys/qhp | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
76380 | Cat scan follow-up study | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
76942 | Echo guide for biopsy | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
76998 | Us guide intraop | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
77001 | Fluoroguide for vein device | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check 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 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
61781 | Scan proc cranial intra | 1 | Check pair |
61782 | Scan proc cranial extra | 1 | Check pair |
61783 | Scan proc spinal | 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.