CPT code 27616: Tumor resection, leg or ankle, 5 cm or larger2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Massachusetts

Reports radical removal of a soft-tissue tumor in the leg or ankle area when the tumor measures 5 cm or greater.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 20262 payment localities323 Medicare services in 2024

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 27616 in Massachusetts.

—Office (non-facility)
$1,160.78–$1,243.31Hospital or facility

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 9 sections
  1. Rate in Massachusetts
  2. What 27616 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. How it’s calculated
  5. Payment rules
  6. Similar codes
  7. Related codes
  8. Billing questions
  9. Sources

What 27616 covers

This code describes radical resection of a soft-tissue tumor in the leg or ankle area measuring at least 5 cm. It is used for definitive removal, such as oncologic surgery for a suspected or confirmed soft-tissue malignancy, rather than a diagnostic sample or a routine limited excision. Orthopedic oncologists and other surgeons may perform the operation in a hospital or outpatient surgical setting, depending on the patient and procedure.

Choose the code based on the tumor’s size and the radical extent of the operation; document the site, tumor dimensions, and operative approach. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity, and co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; 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 27616 pays more and less in Massachusetts

27616 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Metropolitan Boston, MAUnavailable$1,243.31
Rest of MassachusettsUnavailable$1,160.78

How the 27616 rate is calculated

Each of 27616’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 · 27616

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work19.14

19.14 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense11.38

11.38 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice4.17

4.17 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

34.6900

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,158.68

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 27616

27616 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 27616

Tumor resection, leg or ankle, 5 cm or larger

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)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
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 · 27616

Tumor resection, leg or ankle, 5 cm or larger

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

27616 without 50 · national facility

$1,158.68

Tumor resection, leg or ankle, 5 cm or larger

27616-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,738.02

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

27616 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 27616

    Tumor resection, leg or ankle, 5 cm or larger19.14 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 27615

    Tumor resection, small tumor, under 5 cm15.33 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 27634

    Soft-tissue excision, deep, 5 cm or greater9.88 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 27613

    Soft-tissue biopsy, superficial leg or ankle2.16 wRVU

    $260.86

How to choose

27615Tumor resectionSmall tumor, under 5 cm
This is the size sibling for radical resection: 27616 applies at 5 cm or greater; 27615 applies below 5 cm.
27634Soft-tissue excisionDeep, 5 cm or greater
27634 describes excision of a deep or subfascial tumor in the leg or ankle area. 27616 is for radical tumor resection at the 5 cm-or-greater threshold.
27613Soft-tissue biopsySuperficial leg or ankle
27613 is for diagnostic soft-tissue biopsy in the lower-leg or ankle area. 27616 is for definitive radical removal of a qualifying tumor.

27616 billing questions

How is this distinguished from 27615?

Both describe radical resection of a leg or ankle soft-tissue tumor. Use 27616 for a tumor 5 cm or greater and 27615 for one smaller than 5 cm.

How does this differ from 27634?

27616 describes radical tumor resection at the 5 cm threshold. 27634 describes excision of a deep or subfascial leg or ankle tumor; select based on the operation performed and the applicable code definition.

Can a biopsy be reported with the resection?

This code represents definitive tumor removal, not diagnostic sampling. Document any separately performed diagnostic procedure and assess whether it is separately reportable for that encounter.

What documentation supports reporting 27616?

Record the tumor’s leg or ankle location, its dimensions establishing the 5 cm-or-greater threshold, and the operative details supporting radical resection.

What is included in the global period?

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

When can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?

Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. 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 27616PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,975 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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