FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 21348: Facial fracture repairMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports open operative repair of a nasomaxillary fracture when bone grafting is part of reconstructing the injured facial skeleton.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities

Medicare pays $947.92 for 21348 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 21348

Facial fracture repair

Work RVUs
17.08
Total RVUs
28.38
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$947.92

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 21348 →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 21348 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 21348 covers

This code represents open surgical repair of a fracture involving the nasomaxillary region when bone grafting is used in the reconstruction. It is typically performed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, plastic surgeon, or otolaryngologist in an operating room for facial trauma requiring direct exposure and graft support. The operative report should establish the fracture location and extent, the open repair, and the graft’s role in the reconstruction.

Select this code for the grafted nasomaxillary repair, rather than a sibling code describing fixation or multiple fractures. It is major surgery with a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. An assistant at surgery may be paid, and co-surgeons are permitted; 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 21348 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

21348 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$875.04
Alaska*Unavailable$1,214.95
ArizonaUnavailable$926.82
ArkansasUnavailable$866.09
AtlantaUnavailable$971.05
AustinUnavailable$956.64
BakersfieldUnavailable$954.49
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$998.24
BeaumontUnavailable$915.53
BrazoriaUnavailable$931.54

21348 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
21348 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 21348 rate is calculated

Each of 21348’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 · 21348

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work17.08

17.08 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense8.81

8.81 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice2.49

2.49 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

28.3800

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$947.92

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 21348

21348 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 21348

Facial fracture repair

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)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)2Permitted.
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 · 21348

Facial fracture repair

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 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

21348 without 51 · national facility

$947.92

Facial fracture repair

21348-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$473.96

When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).

When to use modifier 51

21348 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

  • 21348

    Facial fracture repair17.08 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 21346

    Midface fracture repair11.16 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 21347

    Nasomaxillary fracture repair13.19 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 21339

    Nasoethmoid repair8.29 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 21366

    Malar fracture repair18.14 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

21346Midface fracture repair
Use 21346 for open nasomaxillary fracture treatment with fixation. Use 21348 when the repair includes bone grafting.
21347Nasomaxillary fracture repair
21347 is for open treatment of multiple nasomaxillary fractures; 21348 identifies grafting in the repair.
21339Nasoethmoid repair
21339 describes open treatment of a nasoethmoid fracture with fixation. Choose by the documented fracture site and repair, not by the presence of grafting alone.
21366Malar fracture repair
21366 concerns open repair of a complex malar fracture with grafting. It is for malar-region injuries, not nasomaxillary fractures.

Codes related to 21348

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

Codes related to 21348
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
21346Midface fracture repairOpen nasomaxillary fracture repair distinguished by fixation rather than grafting.No office rate
21347Nasomaxillary fracture repairOpen treatment for multiple nasomaxillary fractures.No office rate
Used instead
21345Midface fractureClosed treatment for a nasomaxillary fracture when open grafted repair is not performed.$713.35–$1,015.61

21348 billing questions

How does this differ from 21346?

Use 21348 when bone grafting is part of the nasomaxillary fracture reconstruction. Code 21346 describes open treatment with fixation rather than grafting.

When is 21347 more appropriate?

Code 21347 describes open treatment of multiple nasomaxillary fractures. Choose based on the documented fracture pattern and procedure, not simply because grafting was performed.

Should modifier 50 be reported for fractures on both sides?

No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code; the descriptor and anatomy do not support bilateral adjustment.

What postoperative care is included?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

An assistant at surgery may be paid, and co-surgeons are permitted. Team surgery is not permitted for this service.

How are other procedures in the same session paid?

Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%.

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 21348PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,958 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 21348 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 21348 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 →