CPT code 27685: Tendon lengthening, single tendon, leg or ankle2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Vermont

In Vermont, Medicare pays $662.20 for 27685 in the office and $426.43 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 27685 nationwide

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

What 27685 covers

An orthopedic or podiatric surgeon surgically lengthens or shortens one tendon in the leg or ankle to change its effective length. A familiar example is lengthening the Achilles tendon to address a fixed ankle or foot deformity associated with tendon contracture. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room or ambulatory surgery setting.

Select this code when the operative work changes the length of a single tendon; document the tendon treated, the side, the reason for changing its length, and the technique performed. For each additional tendon treated, 27686 is the related add-on code rather than another unit of 27685. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are reduced to 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be allowed; 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.

How Vermont compares for 27685

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 27685 runs from $605.73 in Arkansas to $882.89 in San Benito County, CA. Vermont pays $662.20. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

27685 rates by state

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

See 27685 in every payment locality

How the 27685 rate is calculated

Each of 27685’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 27685

27685 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

Codes related to 27685

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

How 27685 has changed in Vermont

Price 27685 for an earlier date of service

Where the Vermont rate applies

Vermont is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 180 cities and communities in Vermont. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Albany
• Alburgh
• Algiers
• Arlington
• Ascutney
• Bakersfield
• Barnet
• Barre

Browse all communities in Vermont

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