$591.59–$736.16
Both describe foot-joint arthrotomy work, but 28024 identifies a toe interphalangeal joint. Select according to the joint named in the operative report.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
28024 Toe joint exploration Medicare reimbursement rates in California
Reports surgical opening of a toe interphalangeal joint to inspect it, drain it, or remove a loose or foreign body. Compare 28024 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 28024 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
$497.92–$618.75
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $120.83 per service.
Facility setting
$305.74–$365.89
29 of 29 localities have a supported rate.
Lowest: Chico
Highest: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty)
A spread of $60.15 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 28024 pays more and less in California
29 payment localities
$497.92 to $618.75
Foot surgery
About 28024: Toe interphalangeal joint arthrotomy
Reports surgical opening of a toe interphalangeal joint to inspect it, drain it, or remove a loose or foreign body.
This service involves surgically opening an interphalangeal joint of a toe to inspect the joint, drain it, or remove a loose or foreign body. A foot and ankle surgeon or podiatric surgeon may perform it in an operating room or another surgical setting when the problem is within the toe joint, rather than a neighboring tendon or soft-tissue structure.
Choose the code based on the joint treated and the work documented. The operative note should identify the toe and joint, the reason for opening it, and any drainage or material removed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this descriptor. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 28024
- 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 RVU4.41 · 31%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.27 · 65%
- Malpractice RVU0.49 · 3%
381
Medicare services in 2024 · #3776 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.
28024 compared with similar codes
Office rates for California, from the same CMS release.
$522.79–$648.99
This is another foot-joint exploration code. The target joint documented in the operative report distinguishes it from toe interphalangeal joint work under 28024.
$377.46–$468.47
Use 28054 for biopsy of the toe joint lining; 28024 describes opening the joint for exploration, drainage, or removal of a loose or foreign body.
Compare 28024 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 $499.41 | Facility $307.23 |
| Chico | Office $497.92 | Facility $305.74 |
| El Centro | Office $498.01 | Facility $305.82 |
| Fresno | Office $497.92 | Facility $305.74 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | Office $497.92 | Facility $305.74 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Los Angeles/Orange Cnty) | Office $530.49 | Facility $323.05 |
| Madera | Office $497.92 | Facility $305.74 |
| Merced | Office $497.92 | Facility $305.74 |
| Modesto | Office $497.92 | Facility $305.74 |
| Napa | Office $572.98 | Facility $341.86 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | Office $527.60 | Facility $320.33 |
| Redding | Office $497.92 | Facility $305.74 |
| Rest Of California | Office $497.92 | Facility $305.74 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | Office $503.26 | Facility $311.07 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Office $521.47 | Facility $317.53 |
| Salinas | Office $519.49 | Facility $316.26 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | Office $530.90 | Facility $321.18 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (Marin Cnty) | Office $605.38 | Facility $358.13 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (San Francisco/San Mateo/Alameda/Contra Costa Cnty) | Office $604.82 | Facility $357.57 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (San Benito Cnty) | Office $618.75 | Facility $365.89 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Santa Clara Cnty) | Office $616.48 | Facility $363.62 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | Office $511.24 | Facility $311.51 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | Office $535.36 | Facility $322.30 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | Office $521.22 | Facility $316.76 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | Office $540.71 | Facility $325.37 |
| Stockton | Office $497.92 | Facility $305.74 |
| Vallejo | Office $572.18 | Facility $341.06 |
| Visalia | Office $497.92 | Facility $305.74 |
| Yuba City | Office $497.92 | Facility $305.74 |
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28024 billing questions
How is this different from an arthrotomy of another foot joint?
This code is for an interphalangeal joint of a toe. Use the applicable neighboring arthrotomy code when the operative report identifies a different foot joint.
Can this be reported for a toe joint biopsy?
The defining work is opening the toe joint for exploration, drainage, or removal of a loose or foreign body. A procedure focused on sampling the toe joint lining is represented by the toe-joint biopsy code, 28054.
Should modifier 50 be used for both feet?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this descriptor; document the treated toe joint or joints.
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 surgeon or co-surgeon be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted for this service. CMS does not permit co-surgeons or team surgery.
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.
3,09328011,,Incision of toe tendons,A,,4.17,5.02,,3.34,,0.41,9.60,7.92,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09428020,,Exploration of foot joint,A,,5.02,11.16,,4.79,,0.70,16.88,10.51,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09528022,,Exploration of foot joint,A,,4.69,9.66,,4.16,,0.55,14.90,9.40,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09628024,,Exploration of toe joint,A,,4.41,9.27,,4.02,,0.49,14.17,8.92,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09728035,,Decompression of tibia nerve,A,,5.10,10.57,,4.53,,0.66,16.33,10.29,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09828039,,Exc foot/toe tum sc 1.5 cm/>,A,,5.28,8.40,,3.57,,0.59,14.27,9.44,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09928041,,Exc foot/toe tum dep 1.5cm/>,A,,6.95,4.83,NA,4.83,,0.83,12.61,12.61,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00