No office rate
Choose 24006 when the operation includes elbow capsular excision or release. Choose 24000 when the arthrotomy is for exploration, drainage, or foreign-body removal.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
24006 Elbow release Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Reports open elbow-joint surgery that removes or releases contracted capsule, commonly to address stiffness and restricted motion. Compare 24006 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Colorado.
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 24006 in Colorado?
Colorado 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
$672.12
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Colorado
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 24006: Open elbow capsular release
Reports open elbow-joint surgery that removes or releases contracted capsule, commonly to address stiffness and restricted motion.
The surgeon opens the elbow joint and excises or releases contracted joint capsule to improve restricted motion, such as in an elbow contracture. An orthopedic surgeon typically performs this operation in an operating room. The service is distinct from opening the joint for exploration, drainage, or foreign-body removal, and from closed manipulation without an open capsular release.
Select the code when the operative report documents an elbow arthrotomy with capsular excision or release; a diagnosis of stiffness alone does not describe the work performed. The capsular work is part of this service, rather than a separate report of the same release. Medicare 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 at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons are permitted; team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 24006
- 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 permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU9.50 · 48%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.46 · 43%
- Malpractice RVU1.93 · 10%
207
Medicare services in 2024 · #4294 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.
24006 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Code 24102 is for elbow arthrotomy with synovectomy. Code 24006 addresses capsular excision or release, commonly for contracture.
No office rate
Code 24300 describes manipulation of the elbow under anesthesia. Code 24006 requires an open arthrotomy with capsular work.
Compare 24006 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
Colorado →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$672.12
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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 24006 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,257
- Code
- 24006
- Physician work
- 9.50
- Practice expense
- 8.46
- Malpractice
- 1.93
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 9.50 | × 1.012 | 9.6140 |
| Practice expense | 8.46 | × 1.064 | 9.0014 |
| Malpractice | 1.93 | × 0.781 | 1.5073 |
| Total RVUs | 20.1228 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Colorado$672.12
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 9.5 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 8.46 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 1.93 | 0.781 |
(9.5 × 1.012 + 8.46 × 1.064 + 1.93 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $672.12
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.
24006 billing questions
How is this different from code 24000?
Use 24006 for an open elbow capsular excision or release, commonly addressing contracture. Code 24000 describes elbow arthrotomy for exploration, drainage, or foreign-body removal.
Is the capsular release separately reportable?
The excision or release of the capsule is included in 24006. The operative report should establish that this work was performed, rather than documenting only an elbow arthrotomy.
Can modifier 50 be used for both elbows?
CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; when both elbows are treated, bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
How does 24006 differ from manipulation under anesthesia?
Code 24006 involves an open arthrotomy with capsular excision or release. Code 24300 describes elbow manipulation under anesthesia, not an open capsular release.
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?
CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons for this code. Team surgery is 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.
2,25423931,,I&d upr a/e bursa,A,,1.79,7.56,,2.61,,0.35,9.70,4.75,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,25523935,,Inc dp opn b1 crtx hum/elbw,A,,6.22,7.31,NA,7.31,,1.30,14.83,14.83,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,25624000,,Arthrt elbw expl drg/rmvl fb,A,,5.93,6.66,NA,6.66,,1.22,13.81,13.81,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,25724006,,Arthrt elbw capsl exc rls,A,,9.50,8.46,NA,8.46,,1.93,19.89,19.89,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,25824065,,Biopsy arm/elbow soft tissue,A,,2.08,5.49,,2.09,,0.28,7.85,4.45,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,25924066,,Biopsy arm/elbow soft tissue,A,,5.22,14.13,,6.03,,1.20,20.55,12.45,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,26024071,,Exc arm/elbow les sc 3 cm/>,A,,5.56,4.86,NA,4.86,,1.31,11.73,11.73,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3401112,CA,69,VISALIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3501112,CA,70,YUBA CITY,1.017,1.096,0.536
3601112,CA,75,REST OF CALIFORNIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3704112,CO,01,COLORADO,1.012,1.064,0.781
3813102,CT,00,CONNECTICUT,1.020,1.077,1.210
3912202,DC,01,DC + MD/VA SUBURBS,1.054,1.178,1.113
4012102,DE,01,DELAWARE,1.005,0.988,0.899