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    v1.0.30
    OpenPayerBilling CodesIncision Procedures on the Abdomen, Peritoneum, and OmentumCPT cpt-49060-retroperitoneal-abscess-drainage-open
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    CPT 49060: Retroperitoneal Abscess Incision and Drainage

    Medicare pays $1035 on average nationally for this procedure.

    CPT code 49060 describes an open surgical procedure in which the provider makes an incision in the abdomen to access and drain an abscess located in the retroperitoneal space (the area behind and outside the posterior peritoneal lining). Service type: surgical incision and drainage. Typical site of service: operating room or surgical suite, inpatient or ambulatory surgical center, depending on clinical status and need for anesthesia and perioperative care. Data not available in the input.

    For related coverage guidance, see recent payer policy updates: Ambulance and Medical Transport Services (Ground, Air and Water) Corporate Medical Policy, Emergency Air/Water Ambulance Services Medical Guideline, Non-Emergent Ambulance Services.

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    Table of contents

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    Clinical & Coding Specifications

    Clinical Context

    A typical patient is an adult presenting to the emergency department or surgical service with fever, localized back or flank pain, leukocytosis, and imaging (CT scan) demonstrating a retroperitoneal abscess. The patient may have risk factors such as recent intra-abdominal infection, perforated viscus, pancreatitis, urinary tract infection, diabetes mellitus, or recent abdominal surgery. Initial workflow includes triage, focused history and exam, laboratory evaluation (CBC, BMP), blood cultures if febrile, and CT abdomen/pelvis with contrast to localize the collection. Interventional radiology may attempt percutaneous drainage; however, when percutaneous approaches are infeasible due to location, multiloculation, or overlying bowel, a general or acute care surgeon performs an open drainage via an abdominal incision to access the retroperitoneal space, evacuate purulent material, culture the fluid, place drains as needed, and irrigate the cavity. Post-procedure management includes intravenous antibiotics tailored to culture results, wound and drain care, monitoring for sepsis, and imaging follow-up as clinically indicated. Typical sites of service are the hospital operating room, emergency department procedure area, or inpatient surgical unit. The service type is an open surgical incision and drainage of a retroperitoneal abscess corresponding to acute surgical intervention and inpatient care when indicated.

    Related CPT Codes

    CPT CodeDescriptionRelationship to This Procedure
    10160Incision and drainage of abscess, simple or single; skin, subcutaneous tissue, or mucous membraneMay be performed for superficial abscesses prior to or instead of deeper 49060 drainage; not appropriate for retroperitoneal collections.
    49405Drainage of intra-abdominal abscess, percutaneous; with imaging guidanceOften attempted first as a less invasive alternative to open 49060 when an image-guided percutaneous approach is feasible.
    49002Drainage of perirenal abscess, openRelated open drainage codes for perirenal collections; selected when abscess location is perirenal rather than retroperitoneal posterior wall.
    11042Debridement; subcutaneous tissue (includes epidermis and dermis when performed)May be billed when extensive wound debridement of the overlying soft tissues is performed in conjunction with 49060.
    49560Drainage of abdominal wall abscess; complicatedPerformed when an abdominal wall component or infected incision/hematoma requires separate drainage along with retroperitoneal access.
    32900Thoracotomy, with exploration and drainage of pleural space (example unrelated anatomic area)Data not available in the input.

    Related Modifiers

    12 rows

    ModifierDescriptionWhen to Use
    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…
    23Modifier -23 (Unusual Anesthesia) is used on anesthesia service CPT codes when a procedure that normally requires no anesthesia or only local anesthesia must be performed under general anesthesia…- Use modifier -23 only on anesthesia CPT codes (00100–01999) when a procedure that normally requires no anesthesia or only local anesthesia must be performed under general anesthesia because of…
    26Modifier 26 (Professional Component) identifies and bills only the professional portion of a split service — the physician’s interpretation, report, and medical judgment — when the technical…- Use CPT Modifier -26 when you are billing only the professional component (PC) of a split‑bill eligible service—i.e., you performed the physician interpretation, medical judgment and prepared a…
    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…
    54Modifier ‑54 (“Surgical care only”) is appended to a CPT surgical procedure when the reporting surgeon performs the intraoperative (surgical) component but does not furnish the preoperative and/or…- Use modifier -54 when the reporting surgeon provided only the intraoperative (surgical) component of a procedure and preoperative and/or postoperative management has been or will be provided by…
    55Modifier –55 indicates the billing provider furnished only postoperative management for a procedure that has a global surgical period. According to AAPC, this modifier is appended to the same CPT…- Use modifier -55 when billing the same CPT surgical code that has a 10- or 90-day global period and you, as a provider other than the original surgeon, furnished ONLY postoperative management (no…
    62Modifier 62 indicates that two surgeons function as co‑surgeons, each performing distinct parts of the same primary surgical procedure. It is appended to the primary procedure code (and any…- Use modifier -62 when two surgeons act as co‑surgeons (both primary surgeons) on a single definitive primary procedure, each performing distinct parts of the same surgical procedure (append -62 to…
    80CPT® Modifier 80 (Assistant Surgeon) is appended to a surgical CPT code when a physician (MD or DO) provides full, continuous assistance throughout the operative procedure. It is intended only for…- Use CPT Modifier -80 when a physician (MD or DO) serves as an assistant surgeon and provides full, continuous assistance throughout the entire operative procedure; append -80 to the surgical CPT…
    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…

    Showing 1–10 of 12

    Related Provider Taxonomies

    8 rows

    Taxonomy Code
    208000000X
    208600000X
    2084P0800X
    363L00000X
    207R00000X
    207UN0902X
    251E00000X
    324500000X

    Related ICD-10-CM Codes

    27 rows

    ICD-10-CM CodeDescription
    A41.9Sepsis, unspecified organism
    A48.0Gas gangrene
    A49.1Streptococcal infection, unspecified site
    B95.61Methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus infection as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
    B95.62Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
    C78.6Secondary malignant neoplasm of retroperitoneum and peritoneum
    C78.7Secondary malignant neoplasm of liver and intrahepatic bile duct
    K35.80Unspecified acute appendicitis
    K36Other appendicitis
    K57.20Diverticulitis of large intestine with perforation and abscess without bleeding

    Showing 1–10 of 27

    Related Payer Policy Updates

    Specialty: Emergency & Medical Transportation1 / 3

    10 rows

    PolicyPayerEffective Date
    Ambulance and Medical Transport Services (Ground, Air and Water) Corporate Medical Policybcbsvermont2026-10-01
    Emergency Air/Water Ambulance Services Medical GuidelineWPS Health Insurance2026-10-01
    Non-Emergent Ambulance ServicesConnectiCare2026-09-11
    Fixed Wing Air Ambulance TransportCigna2026-08-15
    Air AmbulanceAmbetter Georgia2026-08-01
    Ambulance Services (for Tennessee Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-08-01
    Ambulance Services (for New Mexico Only)UnitedHealthcare2026-08-01
    Air AmbulanceCentene2026-08-01
    Clinical Policy: Air AmbulanceAmbetter Nevada2026-08-01
    Clinical Policy: Air AmbulanceArizona Complete Health2026-08-01

    Related Codes

    CPT-49000-INTRA-ABDOMINAL-EXPLORATION-WITH-BIOPSY

    CPT 49000: Exploratory Laparotomy with Diagnostic Biopsy

    CPT-49002-EXPLORATORY-REOPENING-OF-ABDOMINAL-INCISION

    CPT 49002: Exploration of Abdominal Incision for Complications

    CPT-49010-RETROPERITONEAL-EXPLORATION-WITH-BIOPSY

    CPT 49010: Retroperitoneal Exploration with Biopsy

    CPT-49013-PELVIC-PREPERITONEAL-PACKING-FOR-HEMORRHAGE-CONTROL

    CPT 49013: Pelvic Cavity Packing for Hemorrhage Control

    CPT-49014-PELVIC-CAVITY-REOPENING-AND-REMOVAL-OF-PACKING

    CPT 49014: Reopen Pelvic Cavity, Remove Preperitoneal Packing

    CPT-49020-OPEN-INCISION-DRAINAGE-INTRA-ABDOMINAL-ABSCESS

    CPT 49020: Incision and Drainage of Peritoneal Abscess, Open

    CPT-49040-SUBDIAPHRAGMATIC-ABSCESS-INCISION-AND-DRAINAGE

    CPT 49040: Incision and Drainage of Subdiaphragmatic Abscess

    CPT-49062-EXTRAPERITONEAL-LYMPHATIC-FLUID-DRAINAGE

    CPT 49062: Drainage of Extraperitoneal Lymphatic Collection

    CPT-49082-ABDOMINAL-PARACENTESIS-WITHOUT-IMAGING

    CPT 49082: Paracentesis, abdominal, without imaging

    CPT-49083-IMAGE-GUIDED-ABDOMINAL-PARACENTESIS

    CPT 49083: Imaging-Guided Abdominal Paracentesis

    Showing 1–10 of 11

    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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