Summary & Overview
CPT 10060: Incision and Drainage of Superficial Abscess
CPT code 10060 designates a simple incision and drainage (I&D) procedure for a superficially located abscess. It is widely used in ambulatory and emergency care settings to treat localized purulent infections such as furuncles, carbuncles, cysts, and paronychia. As a common, low-complexity surgical intervention, CPT code 10060 matters nationally for both clinical workflow and outpatient surgical billing, representing frequent encounters across primary care, urgent care, and emergency medicine.
Key payers included in this analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context, typical sites of service, common companion and related codes, and the typical diagnoses that justify the service (for example, cutaneous abscess and cellulitis). The publication summarizes procedural scope, common billing considerations, and payer coverage landscape to help revenue cycle and clinical teams align coding and documentation with payer expectations.
This summary covers benchmarks and policy-relevant points affecting use of CPT code 10060, clarifies where the procedure is typically performed, and outlines relevant clinical situations prompting the service. Data not provided in the input (for example, payer-specific reimbursement rates or regional utilization metrics) is noted as unavailable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 10060 describes a simple incision and drainage (I&D) of an abscess. The procedure involves making a single incision through the skin to open and drain a localized collection of pus from a lesion such as a carbuncle, cyst, furuncle, hidradenitis, or paronychia using surgical instruments.
Service type: Minor surgical procedure — incision and drainage of superficial abscess
Typical site of service: Office, urgent care clinic, or emergency department for lesions located immediately beneath the skin surface
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 34-year-old patient presents to the emergency department with a 48-hour history of a painful, fluctuant swelling in the right axilla with localized erythema and fever. The clinician performs a focused history and targeted physical exam, documents review of systems and comorbidities (including diabetes screening), and confirms a superficial cutaneous abscess clinically consistent with L02.611. After informed consent, the procedure area is prepared with antiseptic, local anesthetic is infiltrated, and a single incision and drainage is performed using scalpel and blunt dissection to evacuate purulent material. Wound culture specimens are obtained as clinically indicated. The wound is irrigated, hemostasis achieved, and a sterile dressing and packing are placed when appropriate. Post-procedure instructions, wound care education, and prescriptions (e.g., oral antibiotics or analgesics) are provided. The visit is documented with procedure details (site, size, anesthesia, instruments, culture), estimated complexity, and follow-up plan. Typical sites of service include the emergency department, urgent care clinic, or outpatient procedure room. The service type is a minor surgical procedure: simple incision and drainage of a superficial cutaneous abscess (CPT 10060).
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
25 | Significant, separately identifiable E/M service by the same physician on the same day as the procedure |