FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 21050: CondylectomyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical removal of a mandibular condyle at the temporomandibular joint for selected condylar disorders, rather than excision of the joint disc or other jaw bone.

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

Medicare pays $795.94 for 21050 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 21050

Condylectomy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
11.47
Total RVUs
23.83
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$795.94

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 21050 → · 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.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 21050 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 21050 covers

This code represents surgical removal of the mandibular condyle where it meets the temporal bone at the temporomandibular joint. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons and other surgeons treating TMJ disorders may perform it, commonly in a hospital or ambulatory surgical setting. The operative report should identify the side and document the condylar abnormality and the extent of bone removed. Condylectomy is distinct from removing the joint disc or excising a lesion elsewhere in the mandible.

Report the code when the performed service is condylar removal, not merely joint manipulation or disc excision. For bilateral surgery, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. 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 21050 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

21050 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$727.21
Alaska*Unavailable$985.83
ArizonaUnavailable$776.88
ArkansasUnavailable$718.66
AtlantaUnavailable$813.96
AustinUnavailable$811.12
BakersfieldUnavailable$815.85
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$841.30
BeaumontUnavailable$759.84
BrazoriaUnavailable$783.59

21050 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

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
21050 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 21050 rate is calculated

Each of 21050’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 · 21050

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 11.47Practice expense 10.70Malpractice 1.66

23.8300 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$795.94

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 21050

21050 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 21050

Condylectomy

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 · 21050

Condylectomy

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.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned 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

21050 without 50 · national facility

$795.94

Condylectomy

21050-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,193.91

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

21050 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

21050 vs 21060 vs 21240 vs 21070 vs 21025: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 21050
    Condylectomy · 11.47 wRVU
    —
  • 21060
    TMJ meniscectomy · 10.79 wRVU
    —
  • 21240
    Jaw joint reconstruction · 15.67 wRVU
    —
  • 21070
    Coronoidectomy · 8.4 wRVU
    —
  • 21025
    Bone excision · 9.78 wRVU
    $840.03

How to choose

21060TMJ meniscectomy
Use 21050 for removal of the mandibular condyle; 21060 concerns removal of TMJ cartilage or disc.
21240Jaw joint reconstruction
21050 describes condylar removal. Code 21240 describes TMJ arthroplasty, including reconstruction work rather than condylectomy alone.
21070Coronoidectomy
21070 removes the coronoid process, a separate mandibular structure. It is not the code for removal of the condyle at the TMJ.
21025Bone excision
21025 is for excision of mandibular bone; 21050 specifically identifies removal of the mandibular condyle at the TMJ.

Codes related to 21050

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

Codes related to 21050
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
21060TMJ meniscectomyAddresses removal of TMJ cartilage or disc rather than removal of the mandibular condyle.No office rate
21240Jaw joint reconstructionTMJ arthroplasty is a different approach when joint reconstruction is performed.No office rate
21070CoronoidectomyRemoves the mandibular coronoid process, not the condyle at the TMJ.No office rate
21025Bone excisionAddresses excision of mandibular bone outside the specific TMJ condylectomy service.$752.60–$1,063.23

21050 billing questions

How is this different from 21060?

Code 21050 represents removal of the mandibular condyle. Code 21060 addresses removal of TMJ cartilage or disc, a different structure.

Does this code cover removal of the TMJ disc?

No. The code describes condylar bone removal; disc or cartilage removal is associated with 21060.

What documentation supports reporting 21050?

Document the affected side, the condylar condition, and the operative work showing removal of the mandibular condyle.

How is bilateral condylectomy reported?

Use modifier 50 for bilateral surgery; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

What postoperative care is included?

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

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 21050PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,857 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 21050 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 21050 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.

Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →