Billing code 27337: Soft-tissue excisionMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $408.16 for 27337 nationally in a facility.

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

What 27337 covers

This service covers definitive surgical removal of a soft-tissue mass located beneath the skin in the thigh or knee area, measuring at least 3 cm. An orthopedic or general surgeon may perform it in an operating room or another appropriate procedural setting. A palpable subcutaneous mass, such as a lipoma, may be removed when treatment or diagnosis calls for excision rather than a limited tissue sample. The code is for a superficial lesion, not a mass situated in deeper soft tissue.

Choose this code when the operative documentation supports the thigh or knee location, subcutaneous depth, and size threshold. Record the lesion’s measured size and the tissue plane involved; the operative report should show that the service was removal, not sampling alone. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. For bilateral procedures reported with modifier 50, payment is 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; 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 27337 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

27337 rates by state

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

How the 27337 rate is calculated

Each of 27337’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 27337

27337 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

27337 compared with similar codes

How to choose

27327Soft-tissue excision

Both concern subcutaneous lesions in the thigh or knee area; the size distinction is below 3 cm for 27327 versus 3 cm or larger for 27337.

27328Soft-tissue tumor excision

27328 is for a deep soft-tissue tumor under 5 cm. Use 27337 when the lesion is subcutaneous and at least 3 cm.

27339Soft-tissue excision

27339 concerns a deep soft-tissue tumor measuring 5 cm or larger; 27337 is for a subcutaneous lesion, regardless of whether its size reaches 5 cm.

27323Soft-tissue biopsy

27323 is a thigh soft-tissue biopsy for obtaining a sample. 27337 describes definitive removal of a qualifying subcutaneous lesion in the thigh or knee area.

Codes related to 27337

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