Billing code 27396: Tendon transferMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $588.52 for 27396 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 27396 covers

An orthopedic surgeon redirects one tendon in the thigh by moving its attachment to a different site, changing the direction of its pull to improve movement or stability. This may be part of reconstructive surgery for a functional imbalance or loss of muscle action. The procedure is generally performed in a hospital or ambulatory surgery center; Medicare recorded facility services for this code in 2024 and no office services.

Select this code when the operative report supports transfer or transplantation of one thigh tendon; a transfer involving multiple tendons is distinguished by the multiple-tendon code. Documentation should identify the tendon, the original and new attachment sites, the reason for redirecting its action, and the work performed. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and 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 27396 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

27396 rates by state

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

How the 27396 rate is calculated

Each of 27396’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 27396

27396 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

27396 compared with similar codes

How to choose

27397Tendon transfer

Choose 27396 for a single transferred thigh tendon and 27397 when multiple thigh tendons are transferred.

27393Tendon lengthening

Code 27393 describes lengthening a thigh tendon, not redirecting its attachment as in a tendon transfer.

27386Thigh muscle repair

Code 27386 concerns repair or grafting of a thigh tendon; use 27396 when the documented procedure transfers one tendon to a new attachment.

Codes related to 27396

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