No office rate
Choose 21627 for debridement of affected sternal tissue; choose 21620 when the operation removes part of the sternum as an ostectomy.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
21627 Sternal debridement Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Surgical removal of devitalized tissue from the sternum, commonly during operative treatment of a deep sternal wound infection after sternotomy. Compare 21627 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alabama.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 21627 in Alabama?
Alabama has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$498.21
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Thoracic surgery
About 21627: Sternal wound debridement
Surgical removal of devitalized tissue from the sternum, commonly during operative treatment of a deep sternal wound infection after sternotomy.
The surgeon removes infected or nonviable tissue from the sternum and operative wound, often to control a deep infection or sternal osteomyelitis after median sternotomy. Cardiothoracic and thoracic surgeons typically perform the procedure in a hospital operating room. The work is focused on cleaning the affected sternal area; it is distinct from removing a portion of sternum as an ostectomy or performing a radical resection.
Report the service when the operative note supports debridement of the sternum, including the site and extent of affected tissue addressed and the reason for treatment. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 21627
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU7.12 · 43%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.81 · 47%
- Malpractice RVU1.70 · 10%
1.2K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2813 by national volume
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.
21627 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
21630 describes radical sternal resection, such as for a substantially different resection objective; it is not the code for routine infected-wound debridement.
No office rate
21750 describes closure of a separated median sternotomy and includes debridement when performed. 21627 describes sternal debridement itself.
$290.66
11044 is a general wound debridement code for work at bone level. 21627 is specific to debridement involving the sternum.
Compare 21627 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Alabama →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$498.21
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How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 21627 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,016
- Code
- 21627
- Physician work
- 7.12
- Practice expense
- 7.81
- Malpractice
- 1.70
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 7.12 | × 1.000 | 7.1200 |
| Practice expense | 7.81 | × 0.875 | 6.8337 |
| Malpractice | 1.70 | × 0.566 | 0.9622 |
| Total RVUs | 14.9159 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alabama$498.21
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 7.12 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 7.81 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 1.7 | 0.566 |
(7.12 × 1 + 7.81 × 0.875 + 1.7 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $498.21
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
21627 billing questions
How does this differ from partial sternal ostectomy, 21620?
21627 describes debridement of affected sternal tissue. Use 21620 when the operative objective is partial removal of sternal bone rather than debridement of a wound.
Can 21627 be reported with 21750?
21750 describes closure of a median sternotomy separation with or without debridement. When the debridement is part of that closure, do not report 21627 separately for the same work.
What should the operative note establish?
Document the sternal site, the infected or nonviable tissue treated, the extent of the debridement, and the clinical reason for the operation.
How is 21627 affected by the 90-day global period?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
Can an assistant or another surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.
Does modifier 50 apply to bilateral sternal debridement?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 is not appropriate.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
2,01321615,,Excision 1st &/cervical rib,A,,10.19,4.71,NA,4.71,,2.54,17.44,17.44,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,01421616,,Exc 1st&/crv rib w/sympth,A,,12.37,4.41,NA,4.41,,3.16,19.94,19.94,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,01521620,,Ostectomy sternum partial,A,,7.10,6.16,NA,6.16,,1.72,14.98,14.98,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,01621627,,Sternal debridement,A,,7.12,7.81,NA,7.81,,1.70,16.63,16.63,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,01721630,,Radical resection sternum,A,,18.70,12.88,NA,12.88,,3.47,35.05,35.05,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,01821685,,Hyoid myotomy & suspension,A,,14.88,8.72,NA,8.72,,2.22,25.82,25.82,0,090,0.10,0.76,0.14,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,01921700,,Revision of neck muscle,A,,6.15,2.23,NA,2.23,,1.57,9.95,9.95,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1ADDENDUM E. FINAL CY 2026 GEOGRAPHIC PRACTICE COST INDICES (GPCIs) BY STATE AND MEDICARE LOCALITY,,,,,,
2,,,,,,
3Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC),State,Locality Number,Locality Name,2026 PW GPCI (with 1.0 Floor)***,2026 PE GPCI,2026 MP GPCI
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515