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Billing code 27848: Ankle dislocationMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports operative treatment of an ankle dislocation through open reduction, with or without percutaneous skeletal fixation, during the surgical encounter.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities289 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $737.83 for 27848 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 27848

Ankle dislocation

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
11.39
Total RVUs
22.09
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$737.83

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 27848 → · 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 27848 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 27848 covers

An orthopedic surgeon reports this service when the ankle dislocation is treated operatively through an open approach. The procedure may include percutaneous skeletal fixation; the code applies to treatment of the dislocation, not simply to an ankle injury or a closed reduction. It is commonly performed in a hospital operating room or other surgical facility. The operative report should identify the dislocation, the open reduction performed, and any skeletal fixation used.

Choose this code based on the documented operative treatment and the full billing code descriptor, rather than the diagnosis alone or the presence of hardware. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, which includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; 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 27848 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

27848 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$670.96
Alaska*Unavailable$914.36
ArizonaUnavailable$718.63
ArkansasUnavailable$662.73
AtlantaUnavailable$757.97
AustinUnavailable$746.96
BakersfieldUnavailable$744.39
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$781.78
BeaumontUnavailable$707.03
BrazoriaUnavailable$722.50

27848 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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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
27848 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 27848 rate is calculated

Each of 27848’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 · 27848

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 11.39Practice expense 8.55Malpractice 2.15

22.0900 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$737.83

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 27848

27848 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 27848

Ankle dislocation

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)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
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 · 27848

Ankle dislocation

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.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned 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 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

27848 without 50 · national facility

$737.83

Ankle dislocation

27848-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,106.75

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

27848 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

27848 vs 27840 vs 27842 vs 27846 vs 27814: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 27848
    Ankle dislocation · 11.39 wRVU
    —
  • 27840
    Ankle dislocation · 4.65 wRVU
    —
  • 27842
    Ankle dislocation · 6.3 wRVU
    —
  • 27846
    Ankle dislocation · 10.02 wRVU
    —
  • 27814
    Ankle fracture · 10.35 wRVU
    —

How to choose

27840Ankle dislocation
27840 is for closed treatment of an ankle dislocation without anesthesia. Use 27848 for operative open treatment.
27842Ankle dislocation
27842 describes closed treatment requiring anesthesia; 27848 describes open operative treatment.
27846Ankle dislocation
Both codes concern open treatment of ankle dislocation. Select between them using the complete billing code descriptors and the procedure documented, not the short CMS labels alone.
27814Ankle fracture
27814 is for open treatment of a bimalleolar ankle fracture. Use it when the operative service treats that fracture rather than an isolated dislocation.

Codes related to 27848

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

Codes related to 27848
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
27840Ankle dislocationClosed ankle-dislocation treatment without anesthesia.No office rate
27842Ankle dislocationClosed ankle-dislocation treatment requiring anesthesia.No office rate
27846Ankle dislocationAnother open-treatment code in the ankle-dislocation family.No office rate
Used instead
27814Ankle fractureOpen treatment of a bimalleolar ankle fracture when fracture treatment is the operative service.No office rate
27822Ankle fracture surgeryOpen treatment of a trimalleolar ankle fracture without fixation of the posterior lip.No office rate

27848 billing questions

How does 27848 differ from closed ankle-dislocation treatment?

27848 describes operative treatment through an open approach. Codes 27840 and 27842 describe closed treatment; 27842 is for closed treatment requiring anesthesia.

How should 27848 be distinguished from 27846?

Both are open-treatment ankle-dislocation codes. Review the complete descriptors and operative report to select the code matching the specific procedure; the short CMS label alone does not establish the distinction.

Is skeletal fixation included in 27848?

The code includes open treatment with or without percutaneous skeletal fixation. Document the reduction and any fixation performed in the operative report.

What does the 90-day global period include?

CMS includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care for 90 days. Those services are part of the global surgical period.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and CMS does not permit team surgery for this code.

How is bilateral treatment reported?

For bilateral procedures reported with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%. Document the treatment performed on each ankle.

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 27848PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,072 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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