$741.12
Use 27303 when the lesion being drained is in bone and the surgeon opens the cortex. Use 27301 for a deep abscess in thigh or knee soft tissue.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27303 Bone drainage Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Reports operative drainage of a bone lesion in the femur or knee region when treatment requires opening the bone cortex. Compare 27303 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 27303 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
$611.48
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 27303: Femur or knee bone lesion drainage
Reports operative drainage of a bone lesion in the femur or knee region when treatment requires opening the bone cortex.
This operation treats a lesion within bone, such as an abscess associated with osteomyelitis, by surgically opening the cortex to drain the involved area. It is generally performed by an orthopedic surgeon in an operating room, often in a hospital or other facility setting. The target is bone in the femur or knee region, rather than a collection confined to surrounding soft tissue or the knee joint.
Report the service when the surgeon’s operative work includes opening bone to drain the lesion; documentation should identify the site, the lesion, and the drainage performed. The code has 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%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 27303
- 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 paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU8.41 · 47%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.93 · 44%
- Malpractice RVU1.74 · 10%
261
Medicare services in 2024 · #4104 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.
27303 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
27310 concerns operative work within the knee joint. This code concerns drainage of a lesion in bone in the femur or knee region.
No office rate
20245 obtains a deep bone specimen with a trocar or needle. This code describes operative drainage requiring opening the bone cortex.
Compare 27303 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
$611.48
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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 27303 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,829
- Code
- 27303
- Physician work
- 8.41
- Practice expense
- 7.93
- Malpractice
- 1.74
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 8.41 | × 1.012 | 8.5109 |
| Practice expense | 7.93 | × 1.064 | 8.4375 |
| Malpractice | 1.74 | × 0.781 | 1.3589 |
| Total RVUs | 18.3074 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Colorado$611.48
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 8.41 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 7.93 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 1.74 | 0.781 |
(8.41 × 1.012 + 7.93 × 1.064 + 1.74 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $611.48
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.
27303 billing questions
When should this be used instead of 27301?
Use 27303 when the surgeon opens bone in the femur or knee region to drain a bone lesion. Code 27301 describes drainage of a deep thigh or knee soft-tissue lesion.
Is drainage of a knee joint the same service?
No. This code is for drainage involving bone; a procedure directed into the knee joint is a different service, such as the arthrotomy represented by 27310.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should identify the femur or knee-region bone site, describe the lesion, and document opening the bone cortex and draining the involved area.
How does the 90-day global period affect follow-up billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period. The code is classified as major surgery.
How are bilateral procedures and multiple same-session procedures handled?
Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and 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.
2,82627295,,Amputation of leg at hip,A,,19.17,10.93,NA,10.93,,4.24,34.34,34.34,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,82727299,,Unlisted px pelvis/hip joint,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,YYY,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,2,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,82827301,,Drain thigh/knee lesion,A,,6.61,13.51,,6.47,,1.44,21.56,14.52,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,82927303,,Drainage of bone lesion,A,,8.41,7.93,NA,7.93,,1.74,18.08,18.08,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,83027305,,Incise thigh tendon & fascia,A,,6.03,6.62,NA,6.62,,1.25,13.90,13.90,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,83127306,,Incision of thigh tendon,A,,4.62,4.64,NA,4.64,,0.47,9.73,9.73,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,83227307,,Incision of thigh tendons,A,,5.91,4.78,NA,4.78,,0.57,11.26,11.26,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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