On this page

CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01

21813 Rib fracture fixation Medicare reimbursement rates in Connecticut

Reports operative internal fixation of seven or more rib fractures, including thoracoscopic visualization when performed, for patients requiring surgical stabilization. Compare 21813 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Connecticut.

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 21813 in Connecticut?

Connecticut 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

$947.86

1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.

Payment area: Connecticut

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.

Find 21813 in your payment locality →

Thoracic surgery

About 21813: Open fixation of seven or more rib fractures

Reports operative internal fixation of seven or more rib fractures, including thoracoscopic visualization when performed, for patients requiring surgical stabilization.

This code describes operative stabilization of seven or more fractured ribs using internal fixation. Thoracic or trauma surgeons typically perform the procedure in a hospital operating room for patients whose rib injuries require surgical stabilization. Thoracoscopic visualization, when used during the operation, is included in the service. The code is selected by the number of ribs treated with fixation, not simply the total number of fractured ribs documented.

The operative report should identify the ribs treated and describe the fixation performed. This is a minor procedure with a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When another procedure is performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, CMS pays this procedure at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

CMS billing rules for 21813

Global period
Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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 not permitted.
Team surgery
Team surgery not permitted.

Where the value comes from

  • Work RVU17.17 · 64%
  • Practice expense (office) RVU4.92 · 18%
  • Malpractice RVU4.60 · 17%

68

Medicare services in 2024 · #5159 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.

21813 compared with similar codes

Office rates for Connecticut, from the same CMS release.

21811

Rib fixation

Unilateral, 1-3 ribs

No office rate

Use 21811 for internal fixation of one to three ribs; 21813 requires fixation of seven or more.

21812

Rib fracture fixation

Four to six ribs

No office rate

Use 21812 when four to six ribs are treated with internal fixation; 21813 is the seven-or-more-rib level.

21820

Sternum fracture care

Closed, without manipulation

$192.29

This code concerns treatment of a sternum fracture, not rib-fracture fixation.

21825

Sternal fracture repair

Open treatment

No office rate

This code is for open treatment of a sternum fracture; 21813 is for internal fixation of seven or more ribs.

Compare 21813 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

Office and facility base rates · shared scale starting at $0

Need rates for a whole code list?

Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.

Explore fee-sheet early access →

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 21813 in Connecticut.

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

2,029

Code
21813
Physician work
17.17
Practice expense
4.92
Malpractice
4.60

GPCI2026.csv

38

Locality
Connecticut
Physician work
1.020
Practice expense
1.077
Malpractice
1.210
Facility calculation for 21813 in Connecticut
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work17.17× 1.02017.5134
Practice expense4.92× 1.0775.2988
Malpractice4.60× 1.2105.5660
Total RVUs28.3782
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Facility rate, Connecticut$947.86

Values as parsed from CMS release RVU26D, effective 2026-10-01. The amount is rounded to the nearest cent only at the end.
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula

Facility

Facility calculation inputs
ComponentRVULocal GPCI
Work17.171.02
Practice expense4.921.077
Malpractice4.61.21

(17.17 × 1.02 + 4.92 × 1.077 + 4.6 × 1.21) × $33.4009 = $947.86

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.

21813 billing questions

How is 21813 distinguished from 21811 and 21812?

Choose by the number of ribs treated with internal fixation: 21813 is for seven or more, 21812 for four to six, and 21811 for one to three.

Does the code include thoracoscopic visualization?

Yes. Thoracoscopic visualization, when performed as part of the rib-fracture fixation, is included.

What documentation supports reporting 21813?

The operative report should identify the ribs actually treated and document internal fixation. The count must support treatment of seven or more ribs.

How is bilateral treatment reported?

For a bilateral procedure, report modifier 50; CMS pays the procedure at 150%.

Can an assistant surgeon be reported?

CMS permits payment for an assistant at surgery. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted 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.

RVUs for 21813PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,029 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for ConnecticutGPCI2026.csv, line 38 (RVU26D)