CPT 10060
Drain an abscess, simple
Incision and drainage of a single, simple skin abscess or boil. A complicated or multiple abscess is 10061, priced higher. The local anaesthetic and dressing are included.
Billed to Medicare
$449
What providers submitted, on average, for this code in a hospital setting.
Medicare accepted
$98
What Medicare treated as payable. Not a commercial rate or a cash price.
The gap
4.6x
How many times the accepted amount the billed figure was.
National averages from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2024 data, retrieved 2026-09-14. Medicare fee-for-service, physician and practitioner claims only. The hospital's own charge for the same code is separate and is usually higher. Based on 32,237 services.
Among the 10 er procedures and injections codes on this site with CMS figures, this gap ranks 7 of 10 (median 4.7x). The widest is Simple wound repair, up to 2.5 cm at 9.9x.
Where this line goes wrong
Simple versus complicated
10061 needs documentation of multiple abscesses or a complicated drainage (packing, extensive probing). A single abscess drained and dressed is 10060.
Visit level on top
The ER visit level should reflect the decision making around the abscess, which for an otherwise well patient is usually low. The procedure and a high visit level together deserve a look.
Want to know if this line is right on your own bill? Upload it to a free mediloop account. An automatic first look reads the charges and shows what looks worth questioning, usually in about a minute.
Check my bill for freeCheck it, then ask
- 1
Ask for the ER note and check how many abscesses were drained and whether packing or a complicated procedure is documented.
- 2
Check for supply lines that are part of the procedure.
- 3
Check the visit level billed alongside it.
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Codes that travel with this one
People also ask
Should I have been billed a full ER visit as well as the procedure?
A visit level can be billed with a procedure if the doctor's evaluation went beyond the decision to do the procedure. It should carry a modifier (25) and be supported by the note.
Sources
This page explains a billing code in general terms. It is not a coding, legal or medical opinion about your bill, and the code descriptions are mediloop's own plain-English summaries, not the official CPT descriptors, which are owned by the American Medical Association. Whether a charge was correct depends on the record of your visit and your payer's rules.