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Removal of Foreign Object From Muscle or Tendon

Alabama rates for HCPCS 20520

This procedure removes a foreign object, such as a splinter, glass fragment, or piece of metal, that has become lodged in a muscle or the tissue sheath surrounding a tendon. It's the more straightforward version of this kind of removal, used when the object is relatively easy to locate and access. A small incision is typically made to reach and extract the object.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Removal of Foreign Object From Muscle or Tendon cost?

$224

Typical negotiated rate. In Alabama, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $224 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $191 from a physician practice, and about $1,820 from a hospital or other facility. The two figures are alternatives, not parts of one bill.

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 4 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

Where it's billed changes the price

Billed byTypicalRange
Physician practiceA doctor's office, clinic or independent provider$191$148 to $269
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$1,820$1,096 to $2,692

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $1,820 · 10th to 90th $646 to $3,162Professionalmedian $191 · 10th to 90th $126 to $347
$200$500$1K$2K$5Kfacility $1,820professional $191

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$758.58
Median
$1,122.02
Typical High
$2,398.83
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$125.89
Median
$194.98
Typical High
$346.74
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2,398.83
Median
$2,884.03
Typical High
$3,890.45
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$141.25
Median
$204.17
Typical High
$275.42
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$138.04
Median
$223.87
Typical High
$380.19
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$371.54
Median
$1,258.93
Typical High
$2,511.89
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$120.23
Median
$181.97
Typical High
$323.59

Where Alabama sits

The same service costs 2.2 times more in Minnesota than in Delaware. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Touch or drag across it to read any state, then open that state for its carriers and full range.

Alabama· 29th of 51

$224

MN $417DE $191

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.