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Billing code 27892: Leg fasciotomyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports anterior and/or lateral leg compartment release with removal of nonviable muscle or nerve, commonly during surgery for acute compartment syndrome.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities127 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $518.05 for 27892 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 27892

Leg fasciotomy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
7.74
Total RVUs
15.51
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$518.05

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 27892 → · 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 27892 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 27892 covers

This service releases pressure in the anterior and/or lateral leg compartment and includes debridement of nonviable muscle and/or nerve. It is typically performed by an orthopedic or trauma surgeon in a hospital operating room when compartment syndrome has caused tissue injury, such as after significant leg trauma or impaired circulation. The operative report should identify the compartment or compartments released and describe the nonviable tissue removed.

Report 27892 when the release includes the specified debridement; a release without that debridement is represented by a different code. The procedure has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and additional procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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 27892 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

27892 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$468.78
Alaska*Unavailable$636.19
ArizonaUnavailable$503.85
ArkansasUnavailable$462.73
AtlantaUnavailable$533.05
AustinUnavailable$524.25
BakersfieldUnavailable$521.36
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$550.06
BeaumontUnavailable$495.73
BrazoriaUnavailable$506.29

27892 rates by state

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

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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
27892 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 27892 rate is calculated

Each of 27892’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 · 27892

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 7.74Practice expense 6.14Malpractice 1.63

15.5100 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$518.05

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 27892

27892 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 27892

Leg fasciotomy

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)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
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 · 27892

Leg fasciotomy

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

27892 without 50 · national facility

$518.05

Leg fasciotomy

27892-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$777.08

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

27892 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

27892 vs 27893 vs 27894 vs 27600: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 27892
    Leg fasciotomy · 7.74 wRVU
    —
  • 27893
    Leg fasciotomy · 7.7 wRVU
    —
  • 27894
    Leg fasciotomy · 12.35 wRVU
    —
  • 27600
    Leg decompression · 5.88 wRVU
    —

How to choose

27893Leg fasciotomy
Choose 27893 when debridement accompanies release of posterior leg compartment(s), rather than anterior and/or lateral compartments.
27894Leg fasciotomy
Choose 27894 when debridement accompanies release of all leg compartments; 27892 is for anterior and/or lateral compartments.
27600Leg decompression
27600 describes anterior and/or lateral leg compartment release without the debridement included in 27892.

Codes related to 27892

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

Codes related to 27892
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
27893Leg fasciotomyDebridement-inclusive decompression for posterior leg compartments.No office rate
27894Leg fasciotomyDebridement-inclusive decompression for all leg compartments.No office rate
Used instead
27600Leg decompressionAnterior and/or lateral leg release when the service does not include the debridement described by 27892.No office rate
27601Leg fasciotomyPosterior leg compartment release without the debridement described by 27892.No office rate
27602Leg decompressionRelease of all leg compartments without the debridement described by 27892.No office rate

27892 billing questions

How does 27892 differ from a leg fasciotomy without debridement?

Use 27892 when the anterior and/or lateral compartment release includes debridement of nonviable muscle or nerve. A release without that debridement is represented by a different code.

Is debridement separately reported with 27892?

Debridement of nonviable muscle and/or nerve is included in 27892. The operative documentation should establish that the tissue was nonviable and was removed.

How do 27892, 27893, and 27894 differ?

They distinguish which leg compartments are released when debridement is performed: 27892 covers anterior and/or lateral compartments, 27893 posterior compartments, and 27894 all compartments.

How is bilateral 27892 reported for Medicare?

Report bilateral surgery with modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.

What documentation supports medical necessity for an assistant at surgery?

The record must document why an assistant was medically necessary for this operation. CMS assistant-at-surgery payment is limited to cases with that documentation.

What postoperative care is included in the global period?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

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 27892PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 3,083 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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