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CPT code 24138: Bone sequestrectomy, olecranon process2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Removal of a sequestrum from the olecranon process, typically during surgery for devitalized bone associated with osteomyelitis or another bone infection.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities65 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $661.00 for 24138 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 24138

Bone sequestrectomy, olecranon process

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
8.29
Total RVUs
19.79
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$661.00

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 24138 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 24138 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 24138 covers

An orthopedic surgeon removes a separated piece of devitalized bone, or sequestrum, from the olecranon process at the tip of the ulna. This operation is typically performed in a facility for a patient with localized bone infection, such as osteomyelitis, when the affected bone requires surgical removal. The target is bone, not the olecranon bursa.

Report the code when the operative work is specifically removal of a sequestrum from the olecranon process. The operative note should identify the site and describe the sequestrum and its removal; a broader partial bone excision may call for a different code. This major surgery has a 90-day global period that includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; 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 24138 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

24138 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$594.83
AlaskaUnavailable$794.20
ArizonaUnavailable$642.45
ArkansasUnavailable$586.62
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$678.86
Austin, TXUnavailable$673.72
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$674.51
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$703.11
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$627.55
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$647.36

24138 rates by state

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

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
24138 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 24138 rate is calculated

Each of 24138’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.

How the rate is built · 24138

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work8.29

8.29 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense9.74

9.74 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.76

1.76 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

19.7900

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$661.00

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 24138

24138 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 24138

Bone sequestrectomy, olecranon process

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.69/0.21Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 24138

Bone sequestrectomy, olecranon process

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

24138 without 50 · national facility

$661.00

Bone sequestrectomy, olecranon process

24138-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$991.50

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

24138 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 24138

    Bone sequestrectomy, olecranon process8.29 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 24147

    Olecranon excision, partial bone removal7.64 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 24105

    Bursa excision, olecranon bursa3.69 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 24136

    Bone sequestrectomy, radial head or neck8.19 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

24147Olecranon excisionPartial bone removal
This code is specific to removing a sequestrum from the olecranon process. Code 24147 describes partial excision of olecranon bone more broadly.
24105Bursa excisionOlecranon bursa
Code 24105 is for excision of the olecranon bursa, a soft-tissue structure. This code is for removal of devitalized olecranon bone.
24136Bone sequestrectomyRadial head or neck
Both codes describe sequestrectomy, but 24136 is for the radial head or neck; this code is for the olecranon process.

Codes related to 24138

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

Codes related to 24138
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
24134Bone sequestrectomy, humeral shaft or distalSequestrectomy code for the shaft or distal humerus rather than the olecranon process.No office rate
24136Bone sequestrectomy, radial head or neckSequestrectomy code for the radial head or neck, a different elbow-region bone site.No office rate
Used instead
24147Olecranon excision, partial bone removalFor partial excision of olecranon bone when the operation is not specifically sequestrectomy.No office rate

24138 billing questions

How is this code different from partial excision of the olecranon?

This code is for removal of a sequestrum from the olecranon process. Use the partial-excision code when the operation is a broader partial removal of olecranon bone rather than sequestrectomy.

Does this code describe removal of the olecranon bursa?

No. It describes removal of devitalized bone from the olecranon process. Excision of the olecranon bursa is a different operation.

What documentation supports reporting this code?

The operative report should identify the olecranon process as the site and describe the sequestrum and its surgical removal. Documentation of the clinical context, such as osteomyelitis, can support why the bone was removed.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

How does Medicare handle another procedure performed in the same session?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures in the same session are paid at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.

May an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

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

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 24138PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,279 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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