Common office procedures

20552 - RVUs & Medicare payment (2026)

Trigger point injection, 1-2 muscles.

Component	Non-facility	Facility
Work RVU	0.64	0.64
Practice expense RVU	0.84	0.36
Malpractice RVU	0.07	0.07
Total RVUs	1.55	1.07
National payment (CF $33.4009)	$51.77	$35.74
Qualifying APM payment (CF $33.5675)	$52.03	$35.92

How 20552 payment varies by locality

Medicare adjusts payment with geographic practice cost indices, so the same code pays differently across the 109 fee schedule localities. In 2026, non-facility payment for 20552 ranges from $46.68 in Arkansas (AR) to $65.44 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA); calculate 20552 for your locality.

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) $65.44 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) $65.11 San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (CA) $64.04 San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (CA) $63.96 Alaska (AK) $63.23 Napa (CA) $60.89 Vallejo (CA) $60.78 NYC Suburbs/Long Island (NY) $60.45 National average $51.77 … 97 more localities between … Rest Of Missouri (MO) $47.84 Mississippi (MS) $47.26 Alabama (AL) $47.25 Arkansas (AR) $46.68

Non-facility payment for 20552 in the 2026 fee schedule ($33.4009 conversion factor), before sequestration. Gray bar = national average.

Global period: 000

Same-day global period: related visits on the day of the procedure are included in the payment.

Related codes - common office procedures

10060 · incision and drainage of abscess, simple
11102 · skin biopsy, tangential, first lesion
11104 · skin biopsy, punch, first lesion
11200 · removal of skin tags, up to 15
11730 · nail plate avulsion, partial or complete, first
11042 · debridement, subcutaneous tissue, first 20 sq cm
12001 · simple wound repair, scalp/trunk/extremities, 2.5 cm or less
17000 · destruction of premalignant lesion, first
17003 · destruction of premalignant lesions, 2-14, each
17110 · destruction of benign lesions, up to 14
20610 · aspiration or injection of major joint (knee, shoulder, hip)
69210 · removal of impacted earwax, unilateral

Frequently asked questions

How much does Medicare pay for 20552 in 2026?

The national non-facility payment is $51.77 and the facility payment is $35.74, using the standard $33.4009 conversion factor. Actual amounts vary by Medicare locality; use the RVU calculator for your area.

What is the work RVU for 20552?

The 2026 work RVU for 20552 is 0.64. Total RVUs are 1.55 in the non-facility setting and 1.07 in the facility setting.

Why are the facility and non-facility amounts different?

Only the practice expense component changes by setting. In an office (non-facility) the practice bears the overhead, so the PE RVU is higher; in a hospital or ASC the facility bills its own overhead separately.

Source: CMS Physician Fee Schedule relative value file (rvu26c.zip, retrieved 2026-07-11). Service description is an original plain-English summary, not CPT descriptor text. CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Amounts are estimates before sequestration and claim-level adjustments.