CPT code 20962: Bone graft, other donor site2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $2,428.25 for 20962 nationally in a facility.

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

What 20962 covers

This code covers harvesting and transferring a vascularized bone graft from a donor site outside the specifically named fibula, iliac crest, and metatarsal options. The graft’s blood supply is restored through microsurgical vessel connections. Reconstructive, orthopedic, and oral and maxillofacial surgeons may use this technique to address a segmental bone defect or a difficult nonunion when vascularized bone is needed. These cases are generally performed in a hospital or other facility setting.

Select the code according to the graft source and the work documented, including the bone harvested and the microvascular transfer. The operative report should identify the donor site, recipient defect, graft transfer, and vascular anastomosis. This major procedure has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this descriptor. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

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 20962 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

20962 rates by state

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

How the 20962 rate is calculated

Each of 20962’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 20962

20962 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

20962 compared with similar codes

How to choose

20955Bone graftFibula, microvascular

Use 20955 for a vascularized fibular graft. Use 20962 when the bone comes from another donor site.

20956Bone graftIliac, microvascular

Use 20956 for a vascularized iliac crest graft; 20962 identifies another bone donor site.

20957Bone graftMetatarsal, microvascular transfer

Use 20957 for a vascularized metatarsal graft. 20962 is for a different donor site.

20969Bone-skin graftOther donor site

20969 describes a microvascular graft that includes bone and skin. 20962 is the other-donor-site choice for a bone graft without that bone-and-skin distinction.

Codes related to 20962

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