Billing code 28292: Bunion correctionMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $703.09 for 28292 nationally in the office and $459.93 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $629.14–$909.85.

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

What 28292 covers

This operation corrects hallux valgus using resection at the base of the great toe’s proximal phalanx, often described as a Keller-type procedure. A foot and ankle surgeon or podiatric surgeon may perform it for a painful bunion deformity, including cases where the operative plan calls for removing part of the phalanx rather than correcting the deformity with a metatarsal osteotomy or fusion. Sesamoidectomy is included when performed as part of the correction. The service is commonly performed in an ambulatory surgery center or hospital outpatient setting.

Select the code from the procedure documented, not the bunion diagnosis alone. The operative report should establish the phalangeal-base resection and describe the correction performed, laterality, and any sesamoid work. It has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; 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 28292 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

28292 rates by state

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

How the 28292 rate is calculated

Each of 28292’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 28292

28292 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

28292 compared with similar codes

How to choose

28295Bunion correction

Use 28295 when the documented hallux valgus correction uses a proximal metatarsal osteotomy. For 28292, the distinguishing work is resection at the proximal phalanx base.

28296Bunion correction

28296 describes hallux valgus correction using a distal metatarsal osteotomy; 28292 describes correction involving proximal phalanx-base resection.

28298Bunion correction

Both involve the proximal phalanx, but 28298 is an osteotomy. Choose 28292 when the documented correction includes resection at the phalangeal base.

28297Bunion correction

28297 is used for hallux valgus correction by joint arthrodesis. 28292 represents correction with proximal phalanx-base resection rather than fusion.

Codes related to 28292

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