Choose 27030 when the operative objective is hip-joint drainage. Code 27033 applies when the surgeon explores the joint to remove a loose or foreign body.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27030 Hip drainage Medicare reimbursement rates in Georgia
Reports open surgical drainage of the hip joint, commonly for septic arthritis when the surgeon enters the joint to evacuate infected fluid. Compare 27030 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Georgia.
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 27030 in Georgia?
Georgia has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$844.05–$886.16
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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 27030: Open hip joint drainage
Reports open surgical drainage of the hip joint, commonly for septic arthritis when the surgeon enters the joint to evacuate infected fluid.
This service involves surgically opening the hip joint to drain fluid, most often in a patient with septic arthritis. An orthopedic surgeon typically performs it in an operating room, where the joint can be accessed and the collected fluid drained. It is for drainage within the joint, rather than treatment of a nearby soft-tissue collection or a diagnostic sample alone.
Report the code when the operative documentation supports hip-joint entry and drainage; document the indication, operative findings, and work performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued is paid in full and the others at 50%. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, CMS pays 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 27030
- 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 RVU13.31 · 52%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.64 · 37%
- Malpractice RVU2.82 · 11%
1.7K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2591 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.
27030 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Georgia, from the same CMS release.
Code 27052 represents biopsy of the hip joint for tissue diagnosis; 27030 represents operative drainage of the joint.
Code 27054 describes removal of the hip-joint lining. It is not the drainage service represented by 27030.
Compare 27030 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Atlanta →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$886.16
Rest Of Georgia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$844.05
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27030 billing questions
When is this code appropriate instead of a hip-joint biopsy code?
Use it when the operative objective is to drain the hip joint, such as for septic arthritis. A biopsy code represents tissue sampling for diagnosis, not drainage as the primary service.
How does this differ from the other hip arthrotomy code?
This service addresses drainage. Code 27033 describes hip-joint exploration to remove a loose or foreign body, rather than drainage as the operative objective.
What documentation supports reporting it?
The operative report should establish that the surgeon entered the hip joint and drained it, and describe the indication and findings, such as infected joint fluid.
How is bilateral surgery handled?
For bilateral reporting, use modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
What payment rules apply when other procedures are performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, with other procedures paid at 50%. The code has a 90-day global period; assistant-at-surgery payment may be allowed, while co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
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.
