$332.76–$403.73
28010 represents percutaneous release of one toe tendon; 28011 is the multiple-tendon counterpart.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
28010 Toe tendon release Medicare reimbursement rates in California
Reports percutaneous release of one toe tendon to relieve a tendon-driven deformity, such as a flexible hammertoe or claw toe. Compare 28010 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in California.
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 28010 in California?
California has 29 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 29 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$245.57–$299.53
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $53.96 per service.
Facility setting
$204.57–$245.59
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $41.02 per service.
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.
Where 28010 pays more and less in California
29 payment localities
$245.57 to $299.53
Foot and toe surgery
About 28010: Percutaneous single-tendon toe release
Reports percutaneous release of one toe tendon to relieve a tendon-driven deformity, such as a flexible hammertoe or claw toe.
A surgeon, commonly a podiatrist or orthopedic foot and ankle specialist, releases one tendon in a toe through a percutaneous approach. The procedure may be used for a flexible hammertoe or claw toe when tendon contracture contributes to the deformity. It is performed in office-based surgical settings and in facility operating rooms. This code identifies a single tendon in a toe, rather than a tendon in the foot or multiple toe tendons.
Report the service when documentation supports a percutaneous release of one toe tendon, including the treated toe, tendon, approach, and clinical indication. The service has a 90-day global period, which includes 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 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 28010
- 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU2.90 · 41%
- Practice expense (office) RVU3.89 · 55%
- Malpractice RVU0.26 · 4%
20.6K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1137 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.
28010 compared with similar codes
Office rates for California, from the same CMS release.
$442.85–$546.10
Choose 28010 for a tendon in a toe and 28008 for a tendon in the foot.
$394.62–$491.22
28232 describes an open toe flexor tendon release. 28010 is for a percutaneous single-tendon release and does not specify a flexor tendon.
$575.04–$711.32
28285 represents hammertoe correction, a broader corrective procedure; 28010 is limited to percutaneous release of one toe tendon.
Compare 28010 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.
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | Office $246.39 | Facility $205.39 |
| Chico | Office $245.57 | Facility $204.57 |
| El Centro | Office $245.61 | Facility $204.61 |
| Fresno | Office $245.57 | Facility $204.57 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | Office $245.57 | Facility $204.57 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty) | Office $260.31 | Facility $216.05 |
| Madera | Office $245.57 | Facility $204.57 |
| Merced | Office $245.57 | Facility $204.57 |
| Modesto | Office $245.57 | Facility $204.57 |
| Napa | Office $278.62 | Facility $229.32 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | Office $258.56 | Facility $214.34 |
| Redding | Office $245.57 | Facility $204.57 |
| Rest Of California | Office $245.57 | Facility $204.57 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | Office $248.42 | Facility $207.42 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Office $256.11 | Facility $212.61 |
| Salinas | Office $255.11 | Facility $211.75 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | Office $259.87 | Facility $215.13 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty) | Office $293.25 | Facility $240.50 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty) | Office $292.96 | Facility $240.21 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty) | Office $299.53 | Facility $245.59 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty) | Office $298.32 | Facility $244.38 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Office $251.15 | Facility $208.54 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | Office $261.42 | Facility $215.96 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Office $255.73 | Facility $212.11 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | Office $263.98 | Facility $218.04 |
| Stockton | Office $245.57 | Facility $204.57 |
| Vallejo | Office $278.20 | Facility $228.89 |
| Visalia | Office $245.57 | Facility $204.57 |
| Yuba City | Office $245.57 | Facility $204.57 |
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28010 billing questions
When should 28011 be used instead?
Use 28010 for a percutaneous release of one toe tendon. Code 28011 is the related code for multiple tendons.
How does 28010 differ from 28008?
Both describe percutaneous tendon release, but 28010 is for a tendon in a toe; 28008 is for a tendon in the foot.
Can modifier 50 be reported for bilateral toe releases?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for 28010 because its descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 unsuitable.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50% when performed in the same session.
What documentation supports reporting 28010?
Document the treated toe and tendon, the percutaneous approach, and the tendon-related deformity or condition prompting the release.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for 28010. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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.
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