CPT code 27648: Arthrogram injection, ankle joint2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $206.75 for 27648 nationally in the office and $43.76 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $180.42–$283.48.

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

What 27648 covers

A physician, commonly a radiologist, places a needle or catheter into the ankle joint and injects contrast for an arthrogram. The injection precedes imaging used to assess the joint, such as radiography, CT, or MRI. Ankle arthrography may be requested to evaluate suspected cartilage or ligament injury, joint-surface abnormalities, or persistent symptoms after an ankle injury.

Select this code for the ankle-joint injection, not for an injection into another joint or for the imaging acquisition and interpretation. The record should identify the ankle, the clinical indication, and the intra-articular contrast injection. Report the imaging service separately when performed and documented; ankle arthrography imaging may be reported with 73615. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. For multiple procedures in one 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 requires documented medical necessity; 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 27648 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

27648 rates by state

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

How the 27648 rate is calculated

Each of 27648’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 27648

The CMS indicators that decide how 27648 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

27648 compared with similar codes

How to choose

73615Ankle arthrographyRadiographic supervision and interpretation

Use 27648 for injecting contrast into the ankle joint. Use 73615 for the radiographic arthrogram examination and its supervision and interpretation.

27093Hip arthrogram injectionWithout anesthesia

Both involve injection for arthrography, but 27093 applies to the hip joint rather than the ankle.

73722Joint MRIWith contrast

73722 reports MRI of a lower-extremity joint with contrast. It describes the MRI service, not the ankle-joint contrast injection reported with 27648.

Codes related to 27648

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