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Removal of Foreign Object From Muscle or Tendon

Iowa 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?

$251

Typical negotiated rate. In Iowa, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $251 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $234 from a physician practice, and about $3,020 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 7 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$234$182 to $417
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$3,020$380 to $4,467

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $3,020 · 10th to 90th $263 to $6,761Professionalmedian $234 · 10th to 90th $148 to $912
$200$500$1K$2K$5K$10Kfacility $3,020professional $234

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
$302.00
Median
$3,235.94
Typical High
$7,244.36
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$138.04
Median
$223.87
Typical High
$954.99
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$208.93
Median
$416.87
Typical High
$549.54
Hally Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$134.90
Median
$263.03
Typical High
$478.63
Medica
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$208.93
Median
$407.38
Typical High
$3,981.07
Medica
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$208.93
Median
$407.38
Typical High
$1,148.15
Midlands
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$338.84
Median
$416.87
Typical High
$562.34
Midlands
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$281.84
Median
$389.05
Typical High
$562.34
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,621.81
Median
$3,715.35
Typical High
$4,570.88
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$151.36
Median
$263.03
Typical High
$537.03
Wellmark
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$295.12
Median
$346.74
Typical High
$501.19

Where Iowa 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.

Iowa· 13th of 51

$251

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.