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75989 Abscess drainage under x-ray

What 75989 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Abscess drainage under x-ray.

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 75989 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)1.162.120.093.37$112.56
Facility (hospital, ASC)1.162.120.093.37$112.56

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.

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Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)

Medicare caps 75989 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 75989? These codes are bundled into it

75989 is a Column 1 code in 23 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
0694T3d vol img&rcnstj brst/ax1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
36005Injection ext venography1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
36500Insertion of catheter vein1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
36591Draw blood off venous device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36592Collect blood from picc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
75893Venous sampling by catheter1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
76000Fluoroscopy <1 hr phys/qhp1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
763763d render w/intrp postproces1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
763773d render w/intrp postproces1 - 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
77002Needle localization by xray1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77003Fluoroguide for spine inject1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77012Ct scan for needle biopsy1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77021Mri guidance ndl plmt rs&i1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
96523Irrig drug delivery device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
99446Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 5-101 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99447Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 11-201 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99448Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 21-301 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99449Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 31/>1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99451Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr 5/>1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
99452Ntrprof ph1/ntrnet/ehr rfrl1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair

75989 is bundled into these codes

75989 appears as a Column 2 code in 14 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 75989 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
10030Img gid flu coll drg sft tis1Check pair
26990Drainage of pelvis lesion1Check pair
32551Insertion of chest tube1Check pair
32554Aspirate pleura w/o imaging1Check pair
32555Aspirate pleura w/ imaging1Check pair
32556Insert cath pleura w/o image1Check pair
32557Insert cath pleura w/ image1Check pair
33017Prcrd drg 6yr+ w/o cgen car1Check pair
33018Prcrd drg 0-5yr or w/anomly1Check pair
33019Perq prcrd drg insj cath ct1Check pair
47490Incision of gallbladder1Check pair
49405Image cath fluid colxn visc1Check pair
49406Image cath fluid peri/retro1Check pair
49407Image cath fluid trns/vgnl1Check 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.