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CPT 42300: Drainage of Parotid Gland Abscess

CPT code 42300 denotes incision and drainage of an infected parotid salivary gland abscess, a surgical procedure used to evacuate purulent material and address deep parotid infections. The code captures a targeted operative intervention with implications for acute surgical care, antibiotic management, and potential hospital-level services when complications or comorbidities exist. Nationally, accurate coding of parotid abscess drainage affects clinical quality reporting, facility and professional payment, and downstream utilization monitoring for head and neck infections.

Key payers in the analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The publication outlines payer coverage contexts, typical reimbursement considerations, and common clinical settings where this procedure is delivered.

Readers will find a concise clinical context for when 42300 is used, benchmarks and typical sites of service, guidance on documentation elements that support code selection, and notes on payer variations and policy updates where available. Data not available in the input will be identified explicitly. This summary is intended for coding professionals, billing staff, surgical providers, and policy analysts seeking a national perspective on billing and operational implications for parotid abscess drainage.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 42300 describes an operative procedure to drain an infected abscess of the parotid salivary gland. The service involves incision and drainage of purulent material within the parotid gland to treat infection and relieve local symptoms.

Service type: Surgical drainage procedure
Typical site of service: Ambulatory surgery center or hospital operating room; may also be performed in an outpatient surgical clinic depending on clinical circumstance

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CPT 42300: Drainage of Parotid Gland Abscess

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Surgical drainage procedure
Typical site of service: Ambulatory surgery center or hospital operating room; may also be performed in an outpatient surgical clinic depending on clinical circumstance

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 46-year-old male presents to the emergency department with 48 hours of increasing left preauricular swelling, severe pain, erythema, trismus, and fever. Physical exam demonstrates a fluctuant swelling over the parotid gland with purulent discharge expressed from Stensen duct and palpable tenderness. Point-of-care ultrasound confirms a discrete abscess within the superficial lobe of the parotid gland. The clinical workflow includes urgent evaluation by an otolaryngologist or oral and maxillofacial surgeon, pre-procedure consent, local anesthesia or monitored anesthesia care depending on patient factors, incision and drainage of the parotid abscess under sterile conditions, specimen collection for culture and sensitivity, placement of a packing strip or drain as indicated, observation for facial nerve function, post-procedure wound care instructions, and initiation or adjustment of targeted antibiotics based on culture results. Typical settings for this procedure include the emergency department, ambulatory surgery center, or operating room depending on complexity and anesthesia requirements.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work required is substantially greater than typical for `42300` (complex dissection, severe infection).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is medically necessary for an otherwise minor procedure like incision/drainage.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use if both parotid glands are drained during the same operative session.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when `42300` is billed with additional unrelated procedures during the same encounter.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as originally planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when `42300` is started but terminated due to extenuating circumstances or patient safety.
`54`	Surgical care only	Use when only the surgical component is billed separate from pre/post-op care by another provider.
`56`	Preoperative management only	Use when only preoperative evaluation and management by a surgeon is billed.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons during a complex drainage.
`66`	Surgical team	Use when a designated surgical team performs the procedure in defined circumstances.
`73`	Discontinued outpatient hospital/ASC procedure prior to anesthesia	Use when the outpatient drainage is cancelled after prep but before anesthesia.
`78`	Unplanned return to the operating/procedure room by the same physician following initial procedure for a related procedure during the postoperative period	Use for reoperation for bleeding or recurrent abscess related to initial `42300`.
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during the postoperative period	Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period of `42300`.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207Y00000X	Otolaryngology (ENT)	Common specialty performing parotid abscess drainage.
1223P0500X	Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery	Performs drainage when intraoral approach or complex facial soft-tissue management required.
207L00000X	Plastic Surgery	Involved when reconstructive concerns or complex soft-tissue management present.
208000000X	Emergency Medicine	May perform bedside drainage in ED for urgent source control.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K11.3`	Sialoadenitis	Represents inflammation of salivary glands and can progress to abscess requiring `42300`.
`K11.5`	Abscess of salivary gland	Directly describes the clinical indication for parotid abscess drainage coded with `42300`.
`J15.9`	Pneumonia due to unspecified bacteria	Systemic infection that may be a comorbid infectious diagnosis; included as an example of concurrent bacterial infection — clinical correlation required.
`L02.419`	Cutaneous abscess of face	Represents superficial facial abscesses that may require separate drainage or be considered in differential diagnosis.
`B95.2`	Streptococcus, group B, as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere	Used as an organism code to identify causative bacteria when cultures are positive and linked to the abscess diagnosis.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`41800`	Incision and drainage of cyst or abscess, mucous retention cyst or ranula; intraoral, single	May be used if intraoral drainage of a neighboring intraoral abscess is performed in the same session.
`10060`	Incision and drainage of abscess (e.g., carbuncle, pustule, or boil); simple or single	May be used for superficial facial abscesses that are not parotid-specific; performed when scope of drainage differs from `42300`.
`10160`	Puncture aspiration of abscess; simple	Used for needle aspiration of superficial abscesses when aspiration rather than open incision is performed.
`99152`	Moderate sedation services provided by the same physician performing a procedure (initial 15 minutes intraprocedural time)	Coded when moderate sedation is provided by the physician during `42300` and required by payer rules.
`67028`	Intravitreal injection of a pharmacologic agent (separate unrelated procedure example)	Represents an unrelated procedure example for modifier use; not commonly combined but illustrates multiple-procedure billing considerations.

CPT 42305: Complex Drainage of Parotid Gland Abscess

CPT-42310-INCISION-DRAINAGE-SUBMANDIBULAR-SUBLINGUAL-ABSCESS

CPT 42310: Incision and Drainage of Submaxillary/Sublingual Salivary Gland Abscess

CPT-42320-SUBMAXILLARY-SALIVARY-GLAND-ABSCESS-DRAINAGE-EXTERNAL-APPROACH

CPT 42320: External Drainage of Submaxillary Salivary Gland Abscess

CPT-42330-SIALOLITHOTOMY-REMOVAL-SALIVARY-GLAND-STONE

CPT 42330: Sialolithotomy, Removal of Salivary Gland Stone

CPT-42335-SIALOLITHOTOMY-SALIVARY-GLAND-STONE-REMOVAL

CPT 42335: Sialolithotomy, Removal of Salivary Gland Stone

CPT-42340-SIALOLITHOTOMY-PAROTID-GLAND-REMOVAL

CPT 42340: Sialolithotomy, Removal of Parotid Gland Stone

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work required is substantially greater than typical for `42300` (complex dissection, severe infection).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is medically necessary for an otherwise minor procedure like incision/drainage.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use if both parotid glands are drained during the same operative session.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when `42300` is billed with additional unrelated procedures during the same encounter.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as originally planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when `42300` is started but terminated due to extenuating circumstances or patient safety.
`54`	Surgical care only	Use when only the surgical component is billed separate from pre/post-op care by another provider.
`56`	Preoperative management only	Use when only preoperative evaluation and management by a surgeon is billed.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons during a complex drainage.
`66`	Surgical team	Use when a designated surgical team performs the procedure in defined circumstances.
`73`	Discontinued outpatient hospital/ASC procedure prior to anesthesia	Use when the outpatient drainage is cancelled after prep but before anesthesia.
`78`	Unplanned return to the operating/procedure room by the same physician following initial procedure for a related procedure during the postoperative period	Use for reoperation for bleeding or recurrent abscess related to initial `42300`.
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during the postoperative period	Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period of `42300`.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207Y00000X	Otolaryngology (ENT)	Common specialty performing parotid abscess drainage.
1223P0500X	Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery	Performs drainage when intraoral approach or complex facial soft-tissue management required.
207L00000X	Plastic Surgery	Involved when reconstructive concerns or complex soft-tissue management present.
208000000X	Emergency Medicine	May perform bedside drainage in ED for urgent source control.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K11.3`	Sialoadenitis	Represents inflammation of salivary glands and can progress to abscess requiring `42300`.
`K11.5`	Abscess of salivary gland	Directly describes the clinical indication for parotid abscess drainage coded with `42300`.
`J15.9`	Pneumonia due to unspecified bacteria	Systemic infection that may be a comorbid infectious diagnosis; included as an example of concurrent bacterial infection — clinical correlation required.
`L02.419`	Cutaneous abscess of face	Represents superficial facial abscesses that may require separate drainage or be considered in differential diagnosis.
`B95.2`	Streptococcus, group B, as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere	Used as an organism code to identify causative bacteria when cultures are positive and linked to the abscess diagnosis.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`41800`	Incision and drainage of cyst or abscess, mucous retention cyst or ranula; intraoral, single	May be used if intraoral drainage of a neighboring intraoral abscess is performed in the same session.
`10060`	Incision and drainage of abscess (e.g., carbuncle, pustule, or boil); simple or single	May be used for superficial facial abscesses that are not parotid-specific; performed when scope of drainage differs from `42300`.
`10160`	Puncture aspiration of abscess; simple	Used for needle aspiration of superficial abscesses when aspiration rather than open incision is performed.
`99152`	Moderate sedation services provided by the same physician performing a procedure (initial 15 minutes intraprocedural time)	Coded when moderate sedation is provided by the physician during `42300` and required by payer rules.
`67028`	Intravitreal injection of a pharmacologic agent (separate unrelated procedure example)	Represents an unrelated procedure example for modifier use; not commonly combined but illustrates multiple-procedure billing considerations.

CPT 42305: Complex Drainage of Parotid Gland Abscess

CPT-42310-INCISION-DRAINAGE-SUBMANDIBULAR-SUBLINGUAL-ABSCESS

CPT 42310: Incision and Drainage of Submaxillary/Sublingual Salivary Gland Abscess

CPT-42320-SUBMAXILLARY-SALIVARY-GLAND-ABSCESS-DRAINAGE-EXTERNAL-APPROACH

CPT 42320: External Drainage of Submaxillary Salivary Gland Abscess

CPT-42330-SIALOLITHOTOMY-REMOVAL-SALIVARY-GLAND-STONE

CPT 42330: Sialolithotomy, Removal of Salivary Gland Stone

CPT-42335-SIALOLITHOTOMY-SALIVARY-GLAND-STONE-REMOVAL

CPT 42335: Sialolithotomy, Removal of Salivary Gland Stone

CPT-42340-SIALOLITHOTOMY-PAROTID-GLAND-REMOVAL

CPT 42340: Sialolithotomy, Removal of Parotid Gland Stone

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

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CPT 42300: Drainage of Parotid Gland Abscess

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 42300: Drainage of Parotid Gland Abscess

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Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

CPT 42300: Drainage of Parotid Gland Abscess

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Billing Code Overview

CPT 42300: Drainage of Parotid Gland Abscess

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Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT 42300 represent and where is this procedure typically performed?

Which modifiers commonly apply to CPT 42300 and when should modifier 22 be used?

Which specialties commonly perform parotid abscess drainage under 42300?

What related CPT codes should be considered when coding abscess drainage near the parotid?

Which ICD-10 diagnosis codes and payers are referenced in the 42300 documentation?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT 42300 represent and where is this procedure typically performed?

Which modifiers commonly apply to CPT 42300 and when should modifier 22 be used?

Which specialties commonly perform parotid abscess drainage under 42300?

What related CPT codes should be considered when coding abscess drainage near the parotid?

Which ICD-10 diagnosis codes and payers are referenced in the 42300 documentation?

References