Billing code 27648: Arthrogram injectionMedicare rate & RVUs in Alaska
Reports intra-articular contrast injection into the ankle to prepare for arthrographic imaging when clinicians need to evaluate joint structures.
Medicare pays $231.44 for 27648 in the office in Alaska (Alaska*). 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 27648 covers
A physician, commonly a radiologist, places a needle or catheter into the ankle joint and injects contrast for an arthrogram. The injection precedes imaging used to assess the joint, such as radiography, CT, or MRI. Ankle arthrography may be requested to evaluate suspected cartilage or ligament injury, joint-surface abnormalities, or persistent symptoms after an ankle injury.
Select this code for the ankle-joint injection, not for an injection into another joint or for the imaging acquisition and interpretation. The record should identify the ankle, the clinical indication, and the intra-articular contrast injection. Report the imaging service separately when performed and documented; ankle arthrography imaging may be reported with 73615. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. 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 requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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.
27648 in Alaska*
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska* | $231.44 | $57.85 |
How the 27648 rate is calculated
Each of 27648’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 · 27648
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.94
0.94 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense5.11
5.11 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.14
0.14 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
6.1900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$206.75
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 27648
The CMS indicators that decide how 27648 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 27648
Arthrogram injection
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is 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) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
27648 without 50 · national office
$206.75
Arthrogram injection
27648-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$310.13
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).
27648 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 73615Ankle arthrography
- Use 27648 for injecting contrast into the ankle joint. Use 73615 for the radiographic arthrogram examination and its supervision and interpretation.
- 27093Hip arthrogram injection
- Both involve injection for arthrography, but 27093 applies to the hip joint rather than the ankle.
- 73722Joint MRI
- 73722 reports MRI of a lower-extremity joint with contrast. It describes the MRI service, not the ankle-joint contrast injection reported with 27648.
27648 billing questions
How is 27648 different from 73615?
27648 reports injection of contrast into the ankle joint. Code 73615 reports the radiographic arthrogram examination and its supervision and interpretation.
Can the ankle MRI be reported with the injection?
Yes, when an MRI is performed and documented, report the applicable MRI service separately. Code 73722 describes MRI of a lower-extremity joint with contrast.
Does this code apply to a knee or hip arthrogram?
No. This code is specific to the ankle joint; 27370 describes injection for knee arthrography, and 27093 describes injection for hip arthrography.
What documentation supports reporting 27648?
Document the ankle joint treated, the indication, and that contrast was injected intra-articularly to prepare for arthrographic imaging.
How is a bilateral ankle procedure reported?
Use modifier 50 for a bilateral procedure. CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150% under the stated rule.
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 27648 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 →