CPT code 23540: AC joint dislocation, without manipulation2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $276.56 for 23540 nationally in the office and $256.85 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $242.77–$358.47.

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

What 23540 covers

This service covers definitive nonoperative care for an acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocation, the separation between the distal clavicle and the acromion. An orthopedic surgeon or other qualified physician may manage a traumatic AC separation with measures such as immobilization and a treatment plan that avoids joint manipulation. The code is specific to the AC joint, not a sternoclavicular dislocation or a clavicle fracture.

Report it when the physician assumes treatment of the dislocation without manipulating it; documentation should identify the injury and side, the treatment decision, and the nonoperative plan. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For bilateral treatment reported with modifier 50, CMS pays at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 23540 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

23540 rates by state

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

How the 23540 rate is calculated

Each of 23540’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 23540

23540 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

23540 compared with similar codes

How to choose

23545AC joint treatmentClosed, with manipulation

Both address closed treatment of an AC dislocation; choose 23540 when treatment involves no manipulation and 23545 when the joint is manipulated.

23550AC joint repairOpen treatment without graft

This code describes nonoperative treatment without manipulation. Use 23550 when the AC dislocation is treated by an open procedure.

23520Sternoclavicular treatmentWithout manipulation

This code concerns a sternoclavicular dislocation, at the joint between the sternum and clavicle. Code 23540 is for the acromioclavicular joint.

23500Clavicle fracture careWithout manipulation

This code is for a clavicle fracture, not an AC joint dislocation. Select according to the documented injury.

Codes related to 23540

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