No office rate
Choose this code for cultured cells from the patient. Code 27415 describes treatment using donor osteochondral tissue.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27412 Cartilage implantation Medicare reimbursement rates in Georgia
Reports implantation of a patient’s cultured cartilage cells to treat a focal knee articular-cartilage defect, including the cartilage harvest and implantation stages. Compare 27412 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 27412 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
$1471.68–$1539.83
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.
Knee surgery
About 27412: Autologous chondrocyte implantation of knee
Reports implantation of a patient’s cultured cartilage cells to treat a focal knee articular-cartilage defect, including the cartilage harvest and implantation stages.
This procedure treats a focal articular-cartilage defect by implanting cartilage cells taken from the same patient and expanded in culture. An orthopedic surgeon harvests cartilage for the cell preparation, then performs the implantation at a later stage, commonly through an arthrotomy. The treatment is directed at a localized cartilage lesion rather than generalized knee arthritis or a loose cartilage fragment.
Report the code for the autologous cell implantation service; cartilage harvest and the arthrotomy needed for implantation are included, not separately coded as independent procedures. The operative record should establish the focal defect, the autologous cell technique, and the implantation performed. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team-surgery payment is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 27412
- 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 RVU24.12 · 54%
- Practice expense (office) RVU15.50 · 35%
- Malpractice RVU5.13 · 11%
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.
27412 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Georgia, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Code 27416 transfers osteochondral tissue harvested from the patient; this code implants cultured cartilage cells rather than a cartilage-and-bone plug.
No office rate
Code 27403 describes a knee cartilage repair procedure. This code is for implantation of autologous cultured chondrocytes to treat a focal cartilage defect.
Compare 27412 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
$1539.83
Rest Of Georgia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1471.68
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27412 billing questions
How is this different from an osteochondral graft?
This procedure implants the patient’s cultured cartilage cells. Osteochondral graft procedures transfer a piece of cartilage with underlying bone, using donor tissue or tissue harvested from the patient.
Can the cartilage harvest be billed separately?
No. The harvest for the cell preparation is included in this implantation service, as is the arthrotomy needed to implant the cells.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Document the focal articular-cartilage defect, the autologous cell technique, the implantation, and the operative details. The record should also support the cartilage harvest associated with the cell preparation.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period. Unrelated services or separately identifiable procedures require their own documentation and coding.
How are bilateral procedures and multiple procedures handled?
CMS pays bilateral reporting with modifier 50 at 150%. For multiple procedures performed 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?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team-surgery payment is 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.
2,87627405,,Repair of knee ligament,A,,8.85,8.43,NA,8.43,,1.80,19.08,19.08,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,87727407,,Repair of knee ligament,A,,10.58,9.57,NA,9.57,,2.25,22.40,22.40,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,87827409,,Repair of knee ligaments,A,,13.37,10.61,NA,10.61,,2.85,26.83,26.83,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,87927412,,Autochondrocyte implant knee,A,,24.12,15.50,NA,15.50,,5.13,44.75,44.75,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,88027415,,Osteochondral knee allograft,A,,19.50,14.03,NA,14.03,,4.15,37.68,37.68,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,88127416,,Osteochondral knee autograft,A,,13.81,10.27,NA,10.27,,2.94,27.02,27.02,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,88227418,,Repair degenerated kneecap,A,,11.31,9.28,NA,9.28,,2.26,22.85,22.85,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00