Billing code 28299: Bunion correctionMedicare rate & RVUs in Alabama
Reports surgical correction of hallux valgus using two osteotomies, typically addressing deformity at the first metatarsal and proximal phalanx.
Medicare pays $933.04 for 28299 in the office in Alabama (Alabama). Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 9 sections
What 28299 covers
A foot and ankle surgeon performs two bone cuts to correct hallux valgus, the deformity commonly called a bunion. The procedure may address the first metatarsal and proximal phalanx to realign the great toe and improve its position. It is generally performed in an operating room or ambulatory surgery setting for a symptomatic deformity requiring more than one osteotomy.
Report 28299 when the operative plan and record support a double-osteotomy correction, rather than a single osteotomy or a first tarsometatarsal joint fusion. Document the deformity, the bones and sites treated, and the osteotomies performed. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires 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.
28299 in Alabama
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $933.04 | $519.20 |
How the 28299 rate is calculated
Each of 28299’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 · 28299
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work9.06
9.06 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense20.84
20.84 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.13
1.13 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
31.0300
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,036.43
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 28299
28299 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 28299
Bunion correction
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 28299
Bunion correction
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
28299 without 50 · national office
$1,036.43
Bunion correction
28299-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$1,554.65
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).
28299 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 28295Bunion correction
- 28295 describes hallux valgus correction with a proximal first-metatarsal osteotomy. Choose 28299 when the correction includes two osteotomies.
- 28296Bunion correction
- 28296 describes correction with a distal first-metatarsal osteotomy. It is the single-osteotomy option, unlike the double-osteotomy correction represented by 28299.
- 28298Bunion correction
- 28298 describes hallux valgus correction with a proximal phalanx osteotomy. Use 28299 when the correction involves two osteotomies rather than that single osteotomy.
- 28297Bunion correction
- 28297 corrects hallux valgus through first tarsometatarsal joint arthrodesis. 28299 represents a correction using two osteotomies instead.
28299 billing questions
When should 28299 be selected instead of a single-osteotomy code?
Use 28299 when the hallux valgus correction includes two osteotomies. A correction using only one osteotomy is represented by the applicable single-osteotomy code.
Can the two osteotomies be billed separately?
28299 represents the double-osteotomy correction. Do not separately report a single-osteotomy code for a component of that same correction.
What documentation supports 28299?
The operative report should identify the hallux valgus correction, the bones and sites treated, and both osteotomies performed.
How is bilateral 28299 reported?
For bilateral procedures, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
May an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted for this code.
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
Fee sheets
Put 28299 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →