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CPT code 27792: Ankle fracture surgery, distal fibula, open treatment2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports open surgical treatment of a distal fibular fracture at the lateral malleolus, typically when exposure and reduction are needed to restore alignment.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities6.4K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $607.90 for 27792 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 27792

Ankle fracture surgery, distal fibula, open treatment

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
8.53
Total RVUs
18.20
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$607.90

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 27792 →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 27792 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 27792 covers

An orthopedic surgeon uses this code when an operation directly exposes and treats a fracture of the distal fibula at the lateral malleolus. A common setting is a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center for a displaced or unstable fracture requiring open reduction; fixation with a plate, screws, or other hardware may be performed. The code concerns the lateral malleolus, not an isolated medial or posterior malleolar fracture.

The operative report should establish the fracture site and document open treatment; fixation is included when performed. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care for 90 days. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. For bilateral procedures reported with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; 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 27792 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

27792 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$550.91
AlaskaUnavailable$743.70
ArizonaUnavailable$591.81
ArkansasUnavailable$543.86
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$623.87
Austin, TXUnavailable$617.95
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$618.13
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$644.85
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$579.85
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$595.92

27792 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
27792 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 27792 rate is calculated

Each of 27792’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 · 27792

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work8.53

8.53 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense8.06

8.06 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.61

1.61 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

18.2000

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$607.90

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 27792

27792 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 27792

Ankle fracture surgery, distal fibula, open treatment

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)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
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 · 27792

Ankle fracture surgery, distal fibula, open treatment

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

27792 without 50 · national facility

$607.90

Ankle fracture surgery, distal fibula, open treatment

27792-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$911.85

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

27792 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 27792

    Ankle fracture surgery, distal fibula, open treatment8.53 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 27786

    Ankle fracture care, distal fibula, without manipulation2.94 wRVU

    $350.04

  • 27788

    Ankle fracture care, distal fibula, with manipulation4.52 wRVU

    $498.68

  • 27766

    Ankle fracture repair, medial malleolus, open treatment7.69 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 27814

    Ankle fracture, open bimalleolar treatment10.35 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

27786Ankle fracture careDistal fibula, without manipulation
27786 is for closed treatment of a distal fibular fracture without manipulation. Choose 27792 when the fracture is treated through open surgical exposure.
27788Ankle fracture careDistal fibula, with manipulation
27788 describes closed treatment with manipulation. It does not represent open reduction of the distal fibula.
27766Ankle fracture repairMedial malleolus, open treatment
27766 is for open treatment of the medial malleolus. Code 27792 concerns the distal fibula at the lateral malleolus.
27814Ankle fractureOpen bimalleolar treatment
27814 applies to open treatment of a bimalleolar fracture pattern. Use 27792 for open treatment of the distal fibula when the bimalleolar code does not describe the treated pattern.

Codes related to 27792

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

Codes related to 27792
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
27786Ankle fracture care, distal fibula, without manipulationClosed treatment of a distal fibular fracture without manipulation.$308.33–$455.82
27788Ankle fracture care, distal fibula, with manipulationClosed treatment of a distal fibular fracture with manipulation.$438.27–$639.01
27766Ankle fracture repair, medial malleolus, open treatmentOpen treatment applies to a medial malleolar fracture rather than the lateral malleolus.No office rate
27769Ankle fracture repair, open posterior malleolusOpen treatment applies to a posterior malleolar fracture.No office rate
27814Ankle fracture, open bimalleolar treatmentUsed for open treatment of a bimalleolar ankle fracture.No office rate

27792 billing questions

When is 27792 used instead of a closed-treatment code?

Use 27792 when the surgeon openly exposes and treats the distal fibular fracture. Closed treatment without manipulation is represented by 27786, while closed treatment with manipulation is represented by 27788.

Can fixation hardware be billed separately?

Fixation performed as part of the open fracture treatment is included in 27792. The operative report should describe the fracture treatment and any fixation performed.

How should a bilateral procedure be reported?

CMS lists this as a bilateral procedure; when modifier 50 is used, payment is 150%.

What postoperative care is included?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted for this code. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

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

Under the standard multiple-procedure rule, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50% when performed in the same session.

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 27792PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,052 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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