CPT 10120: Incision and Removal of Subcutaneous Foreign Body

Medicare pays $163 and commercial payers pay $358 on average nationally for this procedure.

CPT code 10120 describes incision and removal of a foreign body (for example, a thorn, wood splinter, glass sliver, or fishhook) from the subcutaneous or lower layer of the skin; service type: minor surgical foreign body removal; typical site of service: outpatient clinic, urgent care, or emergency department procedure room.

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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.

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CPT 10120: Incision and Removal of Subcutaneous Foreign Body

Medicare pays $163 and commercial payers pay $358 on average nationally for this procedure.

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Sign up for cpt 10120 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 10120 are released or updated.

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National Reimbursement Benchmarks

National Payer Mean Reimbursement Rates

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 28-year-old patient presents to an urgent care clinic after stepping on a splintered wooden board while gardening. The patient reports localized pain and minor bleeding at the dorsum of the foot. On exam there is a palpable subcutaneous foreign body with surrounding erythema but no signs of systemic infection. After local anesthesia, the provider palpates and makes a small incision to explore and remove the splinter from the lower layer of skin, irrigates the wound, and applies a sterile dressing. The clinical workflow includes triage and focused history, informed consent for minor procedure, application of local anesthetic, removal of the foreign body from subcutaneous tissue, wound cleansing, tetanus status check and documentation, wound care instructions, and scheduling follow-up if needed. Typical documentation captures the foreign body type, depth (subcutaneous), technique, local anesthetic used, estimated time, complications (if any), and site of service.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`10121`	Incision and removal of foreign body, subcutaneous tissues; complicated	Used when foreign body removal requires more extensive dissection or is complicated beyond a simple subcutaneous removal coded with `10120`.
`12001`	Simple repair of superficial wounds of scalp, neck, axillae, external genitalia, trunk and/or extremities; 2.5 cm or less	May be performed if a small laceration requires simple closure after foreign body removal.
`11042`	Debridement, subcutaneous tissue (includes epidermis and dermis, if performed); first 20 sq cm or less	Applicable when removal requires debridement of devitalized tissue in addition to foreign body extraction.
`99213`	Established patient office or other outpatient visit, typically 15 minutes	Represents a common E/M level when an established patient is evaluated for foreign body removal and a separate E/M is reported with appropriate documentation (see modifier `25`).

Related Modifiers

7 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
25	CPT 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.,…
51	Modifier –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…
59	Modifier 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…
52	Modifier ‑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…
53	Modifier 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…
76	Modifier -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…
77	Modifier 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…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207XS0117X	Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician	Recognized by several state medical boards as a fellowship subspecialty program of orthopaedic surgery, orthopaedic surgeons of the spine deal with th…
208600000X	Surgery Physician	A general surgeon has expertise related to the diagnosis - preoperative, operative and postoperative management - and management of complications of s…
207Q00000X	Family Medicine Physician	Family Medicine is the medical specialty which is concerned with the total health care of the individual and the family. It is the specialty in breadt…
363LX0106X	Occupational Health Nurse Practitioner	Physician Assistants & Advanced Practice Nursing Providers · Nurse Practitioner
207NP0225X	Pediatric Dermatology Physician	A pediatric dermatologist has, through additional special training, developed expertise in the treatment of specific skin disease categories with emph…
156FX1700X	Ocularist	An ocularist is a thoroughly trained professional skilled in the art of fitting, painting, and fabricating custom ocular prostheses. In addition to cr…
2081P0010X	Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Physician	A physiatrist who utilizes an interdisciplinary approach and addresses the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of congenital and childhood…
2279G0305X	Geriatric Care Registered Respiratory Therapist	Care of older patients who have age and/or disease related decremental pulmonary changes. Diagnosis and treatment is very important for this group si…

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

32 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
S00.83XA	Contusion of other part of head, initial encounter
S40.219A	Abrasion of unspecified shoulder, initial encounter
S50.20XA
S51.801A	Unspecified open wound of right forearm, initial encounter
S51.802A	Unspecified open wound of left forearm, initial encounter
S51.811A	Laceration without foreign body of right forearm, initial encounter
S51.811D	Laceration without foreign body of right forearm, subsequent encounter
S51.811S	Laceration without foreign body of right forearm, sequela
S51.821A	Laceration with foreign body of right forearm, initial encounter
S51.822A	Laceration with foreign body of left forearm, initial encounter

Showing 1–10 of 32

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-10061-COMPLICATED-INCISION-AND-DRAINAGE-ABSCESS

CPT 10061: Incision and Drainage, Complicated 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-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.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.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.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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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`10121`	Incision and removal of foreign body, subcutaneous tissues; complicated	Used when foreign body removal requires more extensive dissection or is complicated beyond a simple subcutaneous removal coded with `10120`.
`12001`	Simple repair of superficial wounds of scalp, neck, axillae, external genitalia, trunk and/or extremities; 2.5 cm or less	May be performed if a small laceration requires simple closure after foreign body removal.
`11042`	Debridement, subcutaneous tissue (includes epidermis and dermis, if performed); first 20 sq cm or less	Applicable when removal requires debridement of devitalized tissue in addition to foreign body extraction.
`99213`	Established patient office or other outpatient visit, typically 15 minutes	Represents a common E/M level when an established patient is evaluated for foreign body removal and a separate E/M is reported with appropriate documentation (see modifier `25`).

Related Modifiers

7 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
25	CPT 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.,…
51	Modifier –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…
59	Modifier 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…
52	Modifier ‑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…
53	Modifier 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…
76	Modifier -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…
77	Modifier 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…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207XS0117X	Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician	Recognized by several state medical boards as a fellowship subspecialty program of orthopaedic surgery, orthopaedic surgeons of the spine deal with th…
208600000X	Surgery Physician	A general surgeon has expertise related to the diagnosis - preoperative, operative and postoperative management - and management of complications of s…
207Q00000X	Family Medicine Physician	Family Medicine is the medical specialty which is concerned with the total health care of the individual and the family. It is the specialty in breadt…
363LX0106X	Occupational Health Nurse Practitioner	Physician Assistants & Advanced Practice Nursing Providers · Nurse Practitioner
207NP0225X	Pediatric Dermatology Physician	A pediatric dermatologist has, through additional special training, developed expertise in the treatment of specific skin disease categories with emph…
156FX1700X	Ocularist	An ocularist is a thoroughly trained professional skilled in the art of fitting, painting, and fabricating custom ocular prostheses. In addition to cr…
2081P0010X	Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Physician	A physiatrist who utilizes an interdisciplinary approach and addresses the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of congenital and childhood…
2279G0305X	Geriatric Care Registered Respiratory Therapist	Care of older patients who have age and/or disease related decremental pulmonary changes. Diagnosis and treatment is very important for this group si…

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

32 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
S00.83XA	Contusion of other part of head, initial encounter
S40.219A	Abrasion of unspecified shoulder, initial encounter
S50.20XA
S51.801A	Unspecified open wound of right forearm, initial encounter
S51.802A	Unspecified open wound of left forearm, initial encounter
S51.811A	Laceration without foreign body of right forearm, initial encounter
S51.811D	Laceration without foreign body of right forearm, subsequent encounter
S51.811S	Laceration without foreign body of right forearm, sequela
S51.821A	Laceration with foreign body of right forearm, initial encounter
S51.822A	Laceration with foreign body of left forearm, initial encounter

Showing 1–10 of 32

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-10061-COMPLICATED-INCISION-AND-DRAINAGE-ABSCESS

CPT 10061: Incision and Drainage, Complicated 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-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.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.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.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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CPT 10120: Incision and Removal of Subcutaneous Foreign Body

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National Reimbursement Benchmarks

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CPT 10120: Incision and Removal of Subcutaneous Foreign Body

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National Reimbursement Benchmarks

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

Related Codes

References

CPT 10120: Incision and Removal of Subcutaneous Foreign Body

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National Reimbursement Benchmarks

CPT 10120: Incision and Removal of Subcutaneous Foreign Body

Sign up for cpt 10120 policy alerts

National Reimbursement Benchmarks

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

Related Codes

What clinical scenario does CPT 10120 describe and where is it typically performed?

Which modifiers are commonly reported with CPT 10120 and when should modifier 25 be applied?

How does CPT 10120 relate to other procedure codes like 10121, 12001, and 11042?

What do the national reimbursement benchmarks indicate about payer variability for CPT 10120?

What documentation elements are recommended for an encounter billed with CPT 10120?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

Related Codes

What clinical scenario does CPT 10120 describe and where is it typically performed?

Which modifiers are commonly reported with CPT 10120 and when should modifier 25 be applied?

How does CPT 10120 relate to other procedure codes like 10121, 12001, and 11042?

What do the national reimbursement benchmarks indicate about payer variability for CPT 10120?

What documentation elements are recommended for an encounter billed with CPT 10120?

References