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    OpenPayerBilling CodesIncision and Drainage Procedures on the Skin, Subcutaneous and Accessory StructuresCPT cpt-10061-complicated-incision-and-drainage-abscess
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    CPT 10061: Incision and Drainage, Complicated Abscess

    Medicare pays $227 and commercial payers pay $318 on average nationally for this procedure.

    CPT code 10061 describes a complicated incision and drainage of an abscess, where the provider uses surgical instruments to incise the abscess and drain purulent material, potentially involving multiple incisions, drain placement, extensive packing, and more complex wound management; service type: surgical incision and drainage; typical site of service: outpatient procedure room, emergency department, or ambulatory surgical center for treatment of complex skin and soft-tissue abscesses such as carbuncles, hidradenitis, deep cysts, furuncles, or paronychia.

    For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Mohs Micrographic Surgery, Mohs Micrographic Surgery, Mohs Micrographic Surgery.

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    National Reimbursement Benchmarks

    Medicare’s mean payment of $226.90 sits below BUCA’s average commercial mean of $317.90, indicating commercial contracts on average pay roughly $91 more than Medicare for CPT 10061. This gap highlights a distinct separation between government and commercial reimbursement levels, with BUCA representing a higher commercial baseline compared with Medicare’s $226.90 mean.

    Rate dispersion (P75 minus P25) is tightest for Aetna at $150.00 (P75 $250.00 minus P25 $100.90) and widest for Blue Cross Blue Shield at $166.80 (P75 $423.60 minus P25 $269.80). UnitedHealth Group and Cigna have similar dispersion measures of $208.30 (UnitedHealth Group P75 $410.80 minus P25 $202.50) and $193.30 (Cigna P75 $405.20 minus P25 $212.00), while BUCA’s interquartile spread is $167.40 (P75 $394.30 minus P25 $226.90).

    National Payer Mean Reimbursement Rates

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    State Reimbursement Rates

    State: Alaska1 / 51

    Rate by payer

    Clinical & Coding Specifications

    Clinical Context

    A 34-year-old male presents to the emergency department with a 48-hour history of increasing pain, swelling, erythema, and fluctuance in the posterior natal cleft. He reports fever and difficulty sitting. On exam there is a large fluctuating pilonidal abscess with surrounding cellulitis. Point-of-care ultrasound confirms a fluid collection. After informed consent, the patient is taken to a procedure room where local anesthesia is administered, wide incision and drainage is performed with multiple incisions to access loculated pockets, placement of a drain and extensive packing are performed, and hemostasis is achieved. Post-procedure instructions and wound care supplies are provided. The encounter is coded as 10061 for complicated incision and drainage due to multiple incisions, drain placement, and extensive packing. Typical sites of service include the emergency department, ambulatory surgery center, or procedure room in an outpatient clinic. The typical service type is surgical soft-tissue incision and drainage with complex wound management. Common clinical workflow steps: triage and assessment, imaging if indicated, informed consent, anesthesia (local with or without sedation), surgical I&D with possible drain placement and packing, postoperative wound care instructions, and scheduling for follow-up and potential secondary closure or wound care.

    Related CPT Codes

    CPT CodeDescriptionRelationship to This Procedure
    10060

    Related Modifiers

    11 rows

    ModifierDescriptionWhen to Use
    25CPT modifier 25 indicates that on the same day as another procedure or service, the same physician or other qualified health care professional provided a significant, separately identifiable…- When to apply: Use modifier 25 only on an E/M code to indicate the same provider delivered a significant, separately identifiable E/M service on the same day as another procedure or service — i.e.,…
    22Modifier –22 (Increased Procedural Services) is used when a reported procedure is substantially more extensive than normally required. The CPT Manual and CMS state it may be appended only when the…- When to use: Append modifier -22 to a procedural CPT code when the service performed is substantially more extensive than the usual service described by that code — i.e., the procedure required…
    52Modifier ‑52 (Reduced Services) indicates that a service or procedure was partially reduced or omitted at the provider’s discretion, allowing reporting of the basic procedure number with a qualifier…- Use modifier -52 when a physician or qualified health professional electively reduces or omits part of a procedure or service (for example, performing fewer required views or omitting a portion of…
    53Modifier 53 (Discontinued Procedure) signals that a surgical or diagnostic service was begun by the physician but terminated because of extenuating circumstances that threatened the patient’s…- Use modifier -53 when a physician/qualified healthcare professional has started a surgical or diagnostic procedure (e.g., anesthesia administered, incision or scope insertion) and then discontinues…
    59Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
    51Modifier –51 (Multiple Procedures) is used when the same provider performs multiple procedures in the same session to identify secondary, non‑exempt procedures and indicate payment reduction logic…- Use modifier -51 when the same provider performs multiple distinct procedures during the same patient encounter: report the highest‑valued procedure first (no modifier) and append -51 to…
    76Modifier -76, Repeat Procedure or Service by Same Physician or Other Qualified Health Care Professional, is appended when the same provider performs an identical, medically necessary procedure or…- Use modifier -76 when the same physician or other qualified health care professional performs an identical procedure or service a second (or subsequent) time on the same date of service and the…
    77Modifier 77 indicates that a previously performed procedure or service was legitimately repeated by a different physician or other qualified health care professional. The AMA’s CPT definition…- Use modifier 77 when a basic procedure or service already performed is repeated by a different physician or other qualified health care professional (for example, a second provider independently…
    58Modifier 58 (Staged or related procedure/service by the same physician during the postoperative period) indicates that a subsequent procedure performed by the same provider during the…- Use modifier 58 when the same physician/QHP performs a procedure during the postoperative/global period of an earlier procedure and the subsequent procedure is either planned or anticipated…
    24Modifier 24 denotes an unrelated evaluation and management (E/M) service performed by the same physician or qualified healthcare professional during a postoperative global period. Per CPT guidance,…- Use modifier 24 when you report an evaluation and management (E/M) service performed by the same physician or same-specialty group during a procedure’s postoperative global period that is unrelated…

    Showing 1–10 of 11

    Related Provider Taxonomies

    8 rows

    Taxonomy Code
    208600000X
    207Q00000X
    207R00000X
    2472E0500X
    111NN0400X
    332800000X
    103G00000X
    125J00000X

    Related ICD-10-CM Codes

    16 rows

    ICD-10-CM CodeDescription
    K11.3Abscess of salivary gland
    K68.12Psoas muscle abscess
    K68.19Other retroperitoneal abscess
    K68.3Retroperitoneal hematoma
    K75.0Abscess of liver
    L05.91Pilonidal cyst without abscess
    L05.92Pilonidal sinus without abscess
    N60.01Solitary cyst of right breast
    N60.02Solitary cyst of left breast
    N83.201Unspecified ovarian cyst, right side

    Showing 1–10 of 16

    Related Payer Policy Updates

    Specialty: Dermatology1 / 3

    10 rows

    PolicyPayerEffective Date
    Mohs Micrographic Surgerypremerabluecrossofwashington2027-02-05
    Mohs Micrographic Surgerypremerabluecrossofwashington2027-02-05
    Mohs Micrographic Surgerypremerabluecrossofwashington2027-02-05
    FilsuvezCigna2026-11-01
    Destruction of Pre-Malignant Skin LesionsAnthem2026-10-01
    Onychomycosis diagnostic testing and coverageOscar Health2026-10-01
    Treatment of Capillary Malformations (Port Wine Stains)universityofutahhealthplans2026-09-28
    AnzupgoCigna2026-09-15
    Hyperhidrosispriority_health_medicare2026-09-01
    Zevaskyn Coverage for Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis BullosaCigna2026-09-01

    Related Codes

    CPT-10040-LESION-EXTRACTION-DRAINAGE-REMOVAL

    CPT 10040: Extraction of Skin Lesion (Incision and Drainage)

    CPT-10060-INCISION-AND-DRAINAGE-SIMPLE-ABSCESS

    CPT 10060: Incision and Drainage of Simple Skin Abscess

    CPT-10080-PILONIDAL-CYST-INCISION-AND-DRAINAGE

    CPT 10080: Incision and Drainage of Pilonidal Cyst

    CPT-10081-PILONIDAL-CYST-INCISION-DRAINAGE-PROCEDURE

    CPT 10081: Incision and Drainage of Pilonidal Cyst, Complex

    CPT-10120-FOREIGN-BODY-REMOVAL-SUBCUTANEOUS

    CPT 10120: Incision and Removal of Subcutaneous Foreign Body

    CPT-10121-DEEP-FOREIGN-BODY-REMOVAL-SOFT-TISSUE

    CPT 10121: Incision and Removal of Deep Foreign Body

    CPT-10140-INCISION-AND-DRAINAGE-HEMATOMA-SEROMA-FLUID-EVACUATION

    CPT 10140: Incision and Drainage of Hematoma/Seroma

    CPT-10160-PERCUTANEOUS-ASPIRATION-SKIN-FLUID-COLLECTION-CULTURE

    CPT 10160: Needle Aspiration of Skin Fluid or Pus

    CPT-10180-INCISION-DRAINAGE-INSTRUMENT-ASSISTED-INFECTION

    CPT 10180: Incision and Drainage of Complex Infected Area

    Frequently Asked Questions

    References

    1. 1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
    2. 2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
    3. 3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.
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    Incision and drainage of abscess; simple or single
    Used for straightforward, single-incision abscesses; choose 10060 when the procedure does not meet criteria for complicated I&D.
    10160Puncture aspiration of abscess, hematoma, bulla, or cystUsed when aspiration without formal incision and drainage is performed instead of I&D.
    11042Debridement, subcutaneous tissuePerformed when necrotic or infected subcutaneous tissue requires debridement in addition to I&D.
    12001Simple repair of superficial wounds of scalp, neck, axillae, external genitalia, trunk and/or extremitiesUsed when simple primary wound closure is performed after I&D on superficial locations, when appropriate.