CPT code 28173: Bone tumor surgery, metatarsal2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $665.68 for 28173 nationally in a facility.

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

What 28173 covers

This code represents surgery to remove a tumor involving a metatarsal, one of the long bones in the foot. An orthopedic or podiatric foot-and-ankle surgeon typically performs the procedure in a hospital or ambulatory surgical setting. The operative report should identify the affected metatarsal, describe the tumor and the extent of bone removal, and support that the work addressed a bone tumor rather than a soft-tissue mass or a non-tumor bone condition.

Report the code when the surgeon’s documented service is tumor resection from a metatarsal; distinguish it from tumor resections in a tarsal bone or toe phalanx. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; co-surgeons require 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 28173 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

28173 rates by state

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

How the 28173 rate is calculated

Each of 28173’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 28173

28173 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

28173 compared with similar codes

How to choose

28171Bone tumor resectionTarsal bone

Use 28171 when the tumor involves a tarsal bone; 28173 identifies a metatarsal tumor.

28175Bone tumor resectionToe phalanx

Use 28175 for a tumor in a toe phalanx. This code is for tumor resection involving a metatarsal.

28140Metatarsal excisionComplete bone removal

28140 represents metatarsal removal, while 28173 is the tumor-specific metatarsal resection code. The operative indication and work performed distinguish them.

Codes related to 28173

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