CPT code 28296: Bunion correction, distal first metatarsal osteotomy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Vermont

In Vermont, Medicare pays $864.05 for 28296 in the office and $468.90 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 28296 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 28296 covers

Code 28296 covers hallux valgus correction centered on an osteotomy near the head of the first metatarsal. An Austin or chevron bunionectomy is a familiar example. An orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon or podiatric surgeon typically performs the operation in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center. The surgeon repositions the bone to improve great-toe alignment and may perform associated soft-tissue work as part of the correction.

Select 28296 when the operative report documents a distal first metatarsal osteotomy for the bunion correction. The report should identify the side, osteotomy location, bone repositioning, and any additional osteotomy. A proximal metatarsal osteotomy, joint fusion, or double osteotomy points to another code. CMS assigns a 90-day global period that includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation. 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 28296

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 28296 runs from $787.33 in Arkansas to $1,159.97 in San Benito County, CA. Vermont pays $864.05. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

28296 rates by state

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

See 28296 in every payment locality

How the 28296 rate is calculated

Each of 28296’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 28296

28296 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 28296

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

How 28296 has changed in Vermont

Price 28296 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