CPT code 28070: Foot synovectomy, tarsometatarsal joint2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Merced, CA

In Merced, CA, Medicare pays $544.00 for 28070 in the office and $335.34 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 28070 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 28070 covers

The surgeon removes abnormal synovial tissue from a tarsometatarsal joint, where the metatarsal bases meet the midfoot bones. This may be performed for persistent synovitis with inflamed or proliferative joint lining, including inflammatory disease affecting the midfoot. A foot and ankle or orthopedic surgeon typically performs the operation in an operating room.

Report 28070 when the operative work removes synovium from a tarsometatarsal joint; a limited diagnostic tissue sample is not the same service. The operative note should identify the joint and document the synovial tissue removed. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When other procedures subject to multiple-procedure reduction are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay for an assistant at surgery, co-surgeons, or team surgery for this code.

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 Merced, CA compares for 28070

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 28070 runs from $462.81 in Arkansas to $673.59 in San Benito County, CA. Merced, CA pays $544.00. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

28070 rates by state

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

See 28070 in every payment locality

How the 28070 rate is calculated

Each of 28070’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 28070

28070 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 51

Codes related to 28070

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

How 28070 has changed in Merced, CA

Price 28070 for an earlier date of service

Where the Merced, CA rate applies

Merced, CA is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 24 cities and communities in California. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Merced
• Atwater
• Ballico
• Bear Creek
• Cressey
• Delhi
• Dos Palos
• Dos Palos Y

Browse all communities in California

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