Billing code 27596: Amputation revisionMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $660.00 for 27596 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 27596 covers

This code describes repeat surgery on a previous amputation through the thigh, such as re-amputating the femoral stump or addressing the site with secondary closure or scar revision. It may be performed when a prior stump needs further operative treatment, including for nonhealing tissue or a wound problem. Orthopedic or vascular surgeons typically perform the procedure in a hospital operating room or another surgical facility.

Select this code for the documented thigh-level reoperation, not for the original amputation. The operative report should establish the prior amputation, the level and extent of the new work, and whether the procedure involved re-amputation, secondary closure, or scar revision. Medicare assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period; the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. When multiple procedures occur 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 is statutorily restricted; co-surgeons are paid only with 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 27596 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

27596 rates by state

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

How the 27596 rate is calculated

Each of 27596’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 27596

27596 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

27596 compared with similar codes

How to choose

27594Amputation revision

Both concern revision at a thigh amputation site. Choose 27596 when the documented work is re-amputation with secondary closure or scar revision; use 27594 when its distinct revision service fits.

27590Thigh amputation

27590 is an initial thigh amputation. This code is for repeat surgery at a previously amputated thigh-level site.

27592Thigh amputation

27592 describes an initial thigh amputation with primary closure; 27596 concerns reoperation at an existing amputation site.

27598Leg amputation

27598 is an amputation through the knee joint. This code concerns repeat surgery at a thigh-level amputation site.

Codes related to 27596

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