No office rate
Choose 27333 when open removal involves both the medial and lateral menisci in one knee. Choose 27332 when removal is limited to one meniscus.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27333 Knee meniscectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Reports open removal of meniscal cartilage from both the medial and lateral compartments of one knee during the same operative session. Compare 27333 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 27333 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
$508.54
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.
Orthopedic surgery
About 27333: Open medial and lateral knee meniscectomy
Reports open removal of meniscal cartilage from both the medial and lateral compartments of one knee during the same operative session.
This code describes an open knee procedure in which the surgeon removes meniscal cartilage from both the medial and lateral compartments of the same knee through an arthrotomy. It is typically performed by an orthopedic surgeon in an operating room when both menisci require removal, such as for meniscal tears treated by an open approach. The code represents treatment of both compartments in one knee, not a single-meniscus procedure.
Report it when the operative note supports open removal from both menisci; documentation should identify the approach and the medial and lateral work performed. For same-session procedures, CMS applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. For treatment of both knees, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 27333
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- 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 RVU7.36 · 44%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.98 · 47%
- Malpractice RVU1.56 · 9%
14
Medicare services in 2024 · #6092 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.
27333 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Both codes describe treatment of the medial and lateral menisci, but 27333 is open and 29880 is arthroscopic.
No office rate
29881 describes arthroscopic removal limited to one meniscus; 27333 describes open removal involving both menisci.
Compare 27333 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
$508.54
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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 27333 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,844
- Code
- 27333
- Physician work
- 7.36
- Practice expense
- 7.98
- Malpractice
- 1.56
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 7.36 | × 1.000 | 7.3600 |
| Practice expense | 7.98 | × 0.875 | 6.9825 |
| Malpractice | 1.56 | × 0.566 | 0.8830 |
| Total RVUs | 15.2255 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alabama$508.54
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 7.36 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 7.98 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 1.56 | 0.566 |
(7.36 × 1 + 7.98 × 0.875 + 1.56 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $508.54
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.
27333 billing questions
How does 27333 differ from 27332?
27333 is for open removal involving both the medial and lateral menisci in one knee. 27332 is the related code for removal from one meniscus.
Can 27333 be reported for arthroscopic meniscectomy?
No. This code describes an open arthrotomy approach. Arthroscopic removal from both menisci is represented by 29880.
Does 27333 cover both knees?
It describes both menisci in one knee. When the procedure is performed bilaterally, CMS lists modifier 50 with payment at 150%.
What documentation supports reporting 27333?
The operative report should establish the open approach and removal of meniscal cartilage from both the medial and lateral compartments of the treated knee.
How does the global period affect postoperative billing?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and other procedures at 50% under the standard multiple-procedure 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.
2,84127330,,Biopsy knee joint lining,A,,4.98,6.31,NA,6.31,,1.07,12.36,12.36,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,84227331,,Explore/treat knee joint,A,,5.87,6.66,NA,6.66,,1.23,13.76,13.76,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,84327332,,Removal of knee cartilage,A,,8.25,8.41,NA,8.41,,1.75,18.41,18.41,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,84427333,,Removal of knee cartilage,A,,7.36,7.98,NA,7.98,,1.56,16.90,16.90,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,84527334,,Remove knee joint lining,A,,8.96,8.60,NA,8.60,,1.90,19.46,19.46,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,84627335,,Remove knee joint lining,A,,10.29,9.05,NA,9.05,,2.19,21.53,21.53,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,84727337,,Exc thigh/knee les sc 3 cm/>,A,,5.76,5.07,NA,5.07,,1.39,12.22,12.22,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,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