CPT code 23491: Scapular stabilization, prophylactic fixation2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Delaware

In Delaware, Medicare pays $925.39 for 23491 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 23491 nationwide

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

What 23491 covers

This service stabilizes a scapula at risk of fracturing before a fracture occurs. The surgeon reinforces the bone with fixation such as a plate, pins, or wires, with or without bone cement. A typical setting is a hospital operating room, and the procedure may be performed by an orthopedic surgeon, including an orthopedic oncologist, when a lesion has substantially weakened the scapula. The operative note should identify the scapular site, the structural concern and fracture risk, and the stabilization performed.

Report the service for preventive reinforcement, not simply because a scapular lesion is present or because an established fracture is being repaired. Document the indication, laterality, fixation method, and any cement use. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. 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.

How Delaware compares for 23491

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 23491 runs from $837.45 in Arkansas to $1,152.68 in Alaska. Delaware pays $925.39. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

23491 rates by state

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

See 23491 in every payment locality

How the 23491 rate is calculated

Each of 23491’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 23491

23491 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 50

Codes related to 23491

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

How 23491 has changed in Delaware

Price 23491 for an earlier date of service

Where the Delaware rate applies

Delaware is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 79 cities and communities in Delaware. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Arden
• Ardencroft
• Ardentown
• Bear
• Bellefonte
• Bethany Beach
• Bethel
• Blades

Browse all communities in Delaware

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