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CPT 10120: Removal of Subcutaneous Foreign Body
CPT code 10120 designates the removal of a foreign body from the lower layer of skin and is commonly used for extracting thorns, wood splinters, glass, or fishhooks embedded in subcutaneous tissue. This code matters nationally because it captures a frequent, low-to-moderate complexity outpatient procedure that impacts coding accuracy, revenue capture, and episode-of-care documentation across ambulatory settings. Key payers included in this review are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, United Healthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for when 10120 applies, how it relates to adjacent procedural codes for more complex removals or wound repairs, and the typical sites of service where it is billed. The summary also outlines areas of payer coverage variability and common scenarios that drive use of this code versus related surgical or evaluation codes. This publication supplies benchmarks, code relationships, and policy considerations relevant to coding staff, clinical leaders, and revenue cycle teams seeking consistent application of surgical procedure coding for minor soft-tissue foreign body extractions.
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Billing Code Overview
CPT code 10120 describes the clinician-performed removal of a foreign body from the subcutaneous or lower layers of skin, such as a thorn, piece of wood, sliver of glass, or fishhook. The procedure involves locating and extracting the embedded object from beneath the epidermis and dermis.
Service type: Minor surgical procedure for foreign body removal.
Typical site of service: Office, urgent care clinic, or outpatient minor procedure suite where localized, non-complex soft-tissue extraction is performed.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
National means show a clear split: Medicare’s mean is $163.10 compared with BUCA’s commercial average of $357.90, so BUCA averages about $194.80 higher than Medicare for CPT 10120. Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealth Group have means closer to the higher commercial side ($487.90 and $218.60 respectively), while Aetna and Cigna sit between Medicare and the highest commercial averages. This frames Medicare as the lower-cost anchor and BUCA as a representative higher-cost commercial benchmark.
Dispersion measured as the interquartile spread (P75 minus P25) highlights where rates cluster or diverge. Blue Cross Blue Shield has the widest IQR at $175.20 (from $408.10 to $576.30), indicating the greatest midspread variability, while Aetna’s IQR is $99.70 and Cigna’s is $130.70. UnitedHealth Group’s IQR is $141.30. BUCA’s IQR is $149.80 and Medicare’s IQR is $19.00, making Medicare the tightest and Blue Cross Blue Shield the widest by this midquartile measure.