No office rate
Choose 27620 for open ankle-joint exploration, with or without biopsy. Choose 27610 when the documented arthrotomy includes drainage or removal of a loose or foreign body.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27620 Ankle arthrotomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Colorado
Open ankle-joint exploration, with or without biopsy, is reported when the surgeon surgically inspects the joint to evaluate intra-articular disease. Compare 27620 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 27620 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
$443.27
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 27620: Ankle arthrotomy with joint exploration
Open ankle-joint exploration, with or without biopsy, is reported when the surgeon surgically inspects the joint to evaluate intra-articular disease.
This procedure opens the ankle joint so the surgeon can inspect its structures and, when indicated, obtain a tissue sample. Orthopedic surgeons typically perform it in an operating room to investigate an intra-articular problem, such as suspected infection or inflammatory disease, when direct visualization or joint-tissue biopsy is needed. The biopsy is part of the described service; laboratory or pathology interpretation is a separate service when performed by another provider.
Select the code when the operative report supports an ankle arthrotomy for joint exploration, with or without biopsy. Document the reason for exploration, the joint entered, findings, and any specimen obtained. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. In a same-session multiple-procedure situation, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 27620
- 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 RVU6.00 · 46%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.01 · 46%
- Malpractice RVU1.03 · 8%
523
Medicare services in 2024 · #3519 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.
27620 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Colorado, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
27625 is for ankle synovectomy when removal of synovial lining is the main procedure; 27620 is for joint exploration, with biopsy optional.
No office rate
27626 describes extensive ankle synovectomy. It is distinguished from 27620 by the operative focus on extensive synovial tissue removal rather than exploration.
Compare 27620 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
$443.27
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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 27620 in Colorado.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,978
- Code
- 27620
- Physician work
- 6.00
- Practice expense
- 6.01
- Malpractice
- 1.03
GPCI2026.csv
37
- Locality
- Colorado
- Physician work
- 1.012
- Practice expense
- 1.064
- Malpractice
- 0.781
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 6.00 | × 1.012 | 6.0720 |
| Practice expense | 6.01 | × 1.064 | 6.3946 |
| Malpractice | 1.03 | × 0.781 | 0.8044 |
| Total RVUs | 13.2711 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Colorado$443.27
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 6 | 1.012 |
| Practice expense | 6.01 | 1.064 |
| Malpractice | 1.03 | 0.781 |
(6 × 1.012 + 6.01 × 1.064 + 1.03 × 0.781) × $33.4009 = $443.27
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.
27620 billing questions
How is this different from 27610?
27620 describes ankle arthrotomy for joint exploration, with or without biopsy. Use 27610 when the documented service is the arthrotomy involving exploration, drainage, or removal of a loose or foreign body.
Is the joint biopsy separately reported?
The biopsy is included in 27620 when performed as part of the joint exploration. The pathology interpretation is a separate service when performed and reported by the appropriate provider.
What documentation supports 27620?
Document the clinical reason for open exploration, the ankle joint entered, operative findings, and whether tissue was collected. The record should establish joint exploration rather than a procedure focused on synovectomy or removal of a loose body.
Can 27620 be reported for both ankles?
For a bilateral procedure, CMS payment uses modifier 50 and is 150% of the single-procedure amount. The operative documentation should support work on both ankle joints.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted under the CMS facts for this code.
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.
2,97527616,,Resect leg/ankle tum 5 cm/>,A,,19.14,11.38,NA,11.38,,4.17,34.69,34.69,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,97627618,,Exc leg/ankle tum < 3 cm,A,,3.86,10.88,,4.29,,0.78,15.52,8.93,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,97727619,,Exc leg/ankle tum deep <5 cm,A,,6.74,5.19,NA,5.19,,1.13,13.06,13.06,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,97827620,,Explore/treat ankle joint,A,,6.00,6.01,NA,6.01,,1.03,13.04,13.04,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,97927625,,Remove ankle joint lining,A,,8.28,6.79,NA,6.79,,1.34,16.41,16.41,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,98027626,,Remove ankle joint lining,A,,8.87,6.69,NA,6.69,,1.33,16.89,16.89,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,98127630,,Removal of tendon lesion,A,,4.82,11.44,,4.84,,0.72,16.98,10.38,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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