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CPT code 21010: Jaw joint surgery2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports open surgical entry into the temporomandibular joint for direct access to joint pathology, rather than needle-based aspiration or manipulation.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities18 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $672.69 for 21010 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 21010

Jaw joint surgery

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
10.76
Total RVUs
20.14
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$672.69

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 21010 →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 21010 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 21010 covers

CPT 21010 describes surgically opening the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) to access the joint directly. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons and other surgeons with appropriate training may perform it in an operating room, commonly for a joint problem that requires open evaluation or treatment. The code represents the joint incision, not removal of the mandibular condyle or joint cartilage; those procedures have distinct codes when performed and supported by the operative work.

Report 21010 when the operative note supports an open incision into the TMJ, identifying the side, indication, and work performed. It has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. An assistant at surgery is paid only when medical necessity is documented; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 21010 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

21010 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$617.43
AlaskaUnavailable$845.97
ArizonaUnavailable$657.09
ArkansasUnavailable$610.59
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$688.42
Austin, TXUnavailable$682.62
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$684.22
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$709.86
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$645.49
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$661.76

21010 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
21010 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 21010 rate is calculated

Each of 21010’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 · 21010

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work10.76

10.76 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense7.82

7.82 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.56

1.56 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

20.1400

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$672.69

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 21010

21010 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 21010

Jaw joint surgery

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)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
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 · 21010

Jaw joint surgery

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

21010 without 50 · national facility

$672.69

Jaw joint surgery

21010-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,009.04

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

21010 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 21010

    Jaw joint surgery10.76 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 20605

    Joint procedure0.66 wRVU

    $57.12

  • 21060

    TMJ meniscectomy10.79 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 21050

    Condylectomy11.47 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 21073

    TMJ manipulation3.36 wRVU

    $429.87

How to choose

20605Joint procedure
20605 describes needle-based aspiration or injection of an intermediate joint. 21010 requires an open surgical incision into the TMJ.
21060TMJ meniscectomy
21060 describes removal of TMJ cartilage. Choose 21010 when the documented service is opening the joint without that removal procedure.
21050Condylectomy
21050 describes removal of the mandibular condyle at the TMJ. 21010 describes open joint entry, not condylar removal.
21073TMJ manipulation
21073 is therapeutic manipulation of the TMJ under anesthesia. It does not describe open surgical entry into the joint.

Codes related to 21010

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

Codes related to 21010
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
20605Joint procedureNeedle-based aspiration or injection of an intermediate joint is distinct from open TMJ entry.$51.25–$72.62
21060TMJ meniscectomyUsed for removal of TMJ cartilage rather than arthrotomy alone.No office rate
21050CondylectomyUsed when the operative service removes the TMJ condyle.No office rate
21073TMJ manipulationDescribes therapeutic TMJ manipulation under anesthesia, not open joint surgery.$379.57–$568.09

21010 billing questions

When should 21010 be chosen instead of TMJ arthrocentesis?

Use 21010 for open surgical entry into the joint. Needle-based aspiration or injection is a different service and is not an arthrotomy.

Does 21010 include removal of the joint disc or mandibular condyle?

No. The code describes opening the TMJ; removal of joint cartilage or the condyle is a distinct operative service with its own code when performed.

How should bilateral TMJ arthrotomy be reported?

Report the bilateral procedure with modifier 50. CMS pays it at 150% under the supplied bilateral rule.

What postoperative care is included in 21010?

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

Can an assistant surgeon be reported with 21010?

An assistant at surgery is paid only when the record documents medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted under the CMS facts for this code.

What documentation supports reporting 21010?

Document the TMJ side, the clinical indication, the open incision into the joint, and the operative findings and work performed. The note should distinguish the procedure from needle-based treatment or a separate removal procedure.

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 21010PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,836 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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