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CPT code 27440: Knee arthroplasty, tibial plateau2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports knee arthroplasty focused on the tibial plateau, rather than replacement of a femoral condyle or a total knee joint.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $745.84 for 27440 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 27440

Knee arthroplasty, tibial plateau

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
10.81
Total RVUs
22.33
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$745.84

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 27440 →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 27440 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 27440 covers

An orthopedic surgeon performs this operation to reconstruct the knee’s tibial articular surface. It is a joint procedure for selected patients with disease or damage affecting the tibial plateau; it is distinct from replacing the full knee joint or resurfacing both the femoral and tibial sides. The service is generally performed in an operating room, with the operative report identifying the treated surface and the reconstructive work performed.

Select this code when the documented arthroplasty is limited to the tibial plateau. The operative report should support that extent and distinguish it from a broader compartment or total knee replacement. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 applies to a bilateral procedure, 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.

Where 27440 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

27440 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$673.90
AlaskaUnavailable$911.73
ArizonaUnavailable$725.20
ArkansasUnavailable$665.05
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$767.36
Austin, TXUnavailable$755.61
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$752.07
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$792.36
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$712.68
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$728.99

27440 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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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
27440 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 27440 rate is calculated

Each of 27440’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 · 27440

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work10.81

10.81 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense9.21

9.21 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice2.31

2.31 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

22.3300

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$745.84

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 27440

27440 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 27440

Knee arthroplasty, tibial plateau

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)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
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 · 27440

Knee arthroplasty, tibial plateau

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

27440 without 50 · national facility

$745.84

Knee arthroplasty, tibial plateau

27440-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,118.76

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

27440 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 27440

    Knee arthroplasty, tibial plateau10.81 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 27441

    Knee revision, joint revision11.25 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 27446

    Partial knee replacement, one compartment16.7 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 27447

    Total knee replacement, medial and lateral compartments19.11 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

27441Knee revisionJoint revision
Both address tibial plateau arthroplasty; 27441 includes debridement and partial synovectomy, which must be supported by the operative documentation.
27446Partial knee replacementOne compartment
27446 describes arthroplasty of the medial or lateral compartment. Use 27440 when the documented arthroplasty is limited to the tibial plateau.
27447Total knee replacementMedial and lateral compartments
27447 is for total knee arthroplasty. It is not the choice for an operation limited to the tibial plateau.

Codes related to 27440

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

Codes related to 27440
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
27441Knee revision, joint revisionTibial plateau arthroplasty with debridement and partial synovectomy.No office rate
27442Knee revision, knee jointArthroplasty involving femoral condyles, tibial plateau surfaces, or both.No office rate
27443Knee revision, joint revisionRelated broader-surface arthroplasty with debridement and partial synovectomy.No office rate
Used instead
27446Partial knee replacement, one compartmentUsed for arthroplasty of the medial or lateral knee compartment.No office rate
27447Total knee replacement, medial and lateral compartmentsUsed for total knee arthroplasty rather than tibial-plateau-focused arthroplasty.No office rate

27440 billing questions

How is this different from a total knee replacement?

This code is for arthroplasty focused on the tibial plateau. A total knee arthroplasty replaces the knee more broadly and is reported with 27447.

When should 27441 be considered instead?

27441 is the related tibial plateau arthroplasty code with debridement and partial synovectomy. The operative report must support that additional work.

What operative documentation supports 27440?

Document the knee surface treated, the arthroplasty performed, and the extent of reconstruction. The record should make clear that the service is limited to the tibial plateau.

Are related postoperative visits separately reported during the global period?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. The included care is part of the surgical global period.

How does Medicare handle bilateral procedures and other procedures performed in the same session?

A bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others are paid at 50%.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is 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 27440PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,894 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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