20610
Ortho / RheumCMS status: AArthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection, major joint or bursa (shoulder, hip, knee, subacromial bursa) without ultrasound guidance.
Work RVU
0.94
Practice RVU
1.04
Malpractice RVU
0.08
Total RVU
2.06
2026 Medicare payment
$68.81
National GPCI = 1.000 · Conversion factor $33.4009 · Non-facility
Model this code
Drop 20610 into a scenario to see how unit volume rolls up to annual wRVUs, gross collections, and bonus.
Open in calculator →When to use it
Major joint injection or aspiration without US guidance.
Documentation checklist
- ✓Joint and side.
- ✓Technique, drug injected with dose and lot.
- ✓Tolerance, complications.
Common pitfalls
- !If US guidance was used, use 20611 — don't bill 20610 + 76942 separately.
- !Drug J-codes billed separately.
Common modifiers
25 (on E/M)50LTRT
Common ICD-10 pairings
M17.11M75.50
Pairs well with
Educational reference, not billing or legal advice. Verify against your payer contracts and your compliance team before submission.