Billing code 27323: Soft-tissue biopsyMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $274.89 for 27323 nationally in the office and $157.65 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $243.37–$362.14.

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

What 27323 covers

A surgeon removes a sample of superficial soft tissue from the thigh or knee area so the tissue can be examined for a suspected tumor or other abnormality. Orthopedic surgeons and surgical oncologists commonly perform the procedure in an outpatient operating room or procedure setting. The code distinguishes a superficial biopsy from sampling deeper soft tissue and from biopsy of the knee joint lining.

Report this code when the operative record supports sampling superficial tissue, rather than complete excision of the lesion. Document the biopsy site, the tissue sampled, and the operative findings; the pathology service may be reported separately when performed by another provider. This minor procedure has a 10-day global period, which includes related postoperative visits during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. For bilateral reporting, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this procedure; 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 27323 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

27323 rates by state

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

How the 27323 rate is calculated

Each of 27323’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 27323

27323 has a 10-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

27323 compared with similar codes

How to choose

27324Thigh biopsy

This code is for superficial soft tissue; 27324 is for deep soft-tissue biopsy. Use the operative description of tissue depth to distinguish them.

27327Soft-tissue excision

Use this biopsy code when tissue is sampled. Code 27327 describes excision of a superficial thigh or knee-area lesion under its applicable size criterion.

27328Soft-tissue tumor excision

This code reports superficial tissue sampling, while 27328 describes excision of a deep thigh or knee-area tumor under its applicable size criterion.

27330Knee biopsy

This code samples superficial soft tissue around the thigh or knee; 27330 is for biopsy of the knee joint lining.

Codes related to 27323

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