CPT code 11044: Wound debridement, bone, first 20 sq cm2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $320.65 for 11044 nationally in the office and $201.07 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $286.92–$398.65.

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 11044 covers

11044 represents operative wound-bed debridement that reaches and removes devitalized bone, with more superficial layers included when removed during the same service. It is commonly used for pressure injuries, diabetic foot ulcers, or other chronic wounds with nonviable bone, including cases involving osteomyelitis. Surgeons, podiatrists, and other clinicians qualified to perform wound debridement may report it in office or facility settings. Exposed bone alone is not enough; the procedure must actually debride bone.

Select the code by the deepest tissue actually removed and the total debrided surface area, not by wound appearance or planned depth. This base code covers up to 20 sq cm; report 11047 for each additional 20 sq cm or portion, and document tissue level, sites, and area. For multiple wounds, aggregate areas treated to the same depth; keep different depths at their corresponding levels. The 0-day global includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted. Do not append modifier 50.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 11044 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

11044 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

How the 11044 rate is calculated

Each of 11044’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for 11044

The CMS indicators that decide how 11044 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

11044 compared with similar codes

How to choose

11043Wound debridementMuscle or fascia, initial area

Choose 11043 when muscle or fascia is the deepest tissue actually debrided. Choose 11044 when the procedure removes bone.

11042Wound debridementSubcutaneous tissue, first 20 sq cm

Choose 11042 when debridement stops at subcutaneous tissue. Visible or exposed bone does not establish 11044 unless bone is debrided.

11047Bone debridementEach additional 20 sq cm

11044 covers the first 20 sq cm or less. 11047 is the add-on for each additional 20 sq cm or portion at the bone-debridement level.

11012Fracture-site debridementThrough bone

11012 is for debridement at an open fracture or dislocation site. For wound debridement to bone outside that circumstance, consider 11044.

Codes related to 11044

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates