No office rate
21750 repairs separation of a prior median sternotomy. 21740 is for sternal reconstruction, such as for a congenital or acquired deformity.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
21750 Sternal repair Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Repairs separation of a previously divided sternum, typically after median sternotomy, by reapproximating and stabilizing the sternal edges. Compare 21750 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 21750 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
$596.34
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 21750: Median sternotomy separation repair
Repairs separation of a previously divided sternum, typically after median sternotomy, by reapproximating and stabilizing the sternal edges.
This operation addresses separation of the sternum after a median sternotomy, commonly following cardiac or thoracic surgery. The surgeon exposes the separated sternal edges, prepares them for repair, and reapproximates and stabilizes the sternum. Debridement may be part of the repair when needed. Cardiothoracic surgeons typically perform the procedure in an operating room, generally in a facility setting.
Report 21750 when the operative service repairs a separated median sternotomy, rather than treating a sternal fracture or reconstructing the sternum for a deformity. The operative note should identify the prior sternotomy, the separation, and the repair performed; debridement may be included. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 21750
- 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 paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU11.12 · 56%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.93 · 30%
- Malpractice RVU2.73 · 14%
1.3K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2770 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.
21750 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
$159.79
21820 describes closed treatment of a sternal fracture. Choose 21750 when the problem is separation of a prior sternotomy.
No office rate
21825 is open treatment of a sternal fracture. It is not the code for repairing a separated median sternotomy.
Compare 21750 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
$596.34
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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 21750 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,026
- Code
- 21750
- Physician work
- 11.12
- Practice expense
- 5.93
- Malpractice
- 2.73
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 11.12 | × 1.000 | 11.1200 |
| Practice expense | 5.93 | × 0.875 | 5.1887 |
| Malpractice | 2.73 | × 0.566 | 1.5452 |
| Total RVUs | 17.8539 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alabama$596.34
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 11.12 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 5.93 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 2.73 | 0.566 |
(11.12 × 1 + 5.93 × 0.875 + 2.73 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $596.34
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.
21750 billing questions
When should 21750 be chosen instead of a sternal fracture code?
Use 21750 for repair of separation at a prior median sternotomy. Sternal fracture treatment codes apply when the operative indication is a fracture.
Can debridement be billed separately with 21750?
The repair may include debridement. The operative note should describe the work performed, but debridement that is part of the sternal separation repair is not a separate service.
Does modifier 50 apply to this repair?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code and anatomy.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure rule, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to a 50% reduction.
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.
2,02321740,,Reconstruction of sternum,A,,17.13,8.19,NA,8.19,,4.31,29.63,29.63,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,02421742,,Repair stern/nuss w/o scope,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,02521743,,Repair sternum/nuss w/scope,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,02621750,,Repair of sternum separation,A,,11.12,5.93,NA,5.93,,2.73,19.78,19.78,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,02721811,,Optx of rib fx w/fixj scope,A,,10.52,3.19,NA,3.19,,2.60,16.31,16.31,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,02821812,,Treatment of rib fracture,A,,12.68,3.87,NA,3.87,,3.07,19.62,19.62,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,02921813,,Treatment of rib fracture,A,,17.17,4.92,NA,4.92,,4.60,26.69,26.69,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,2,0,0,9,,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