$512.64
Choose 28280 when adjacent toes are surgically joined by soft tissue. Choose 28285 for the defined hammertoe correction procedure.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
28280 Toe syndactylization Medicare reimbursement rates in Indiana
Report toe syndactylization when a surgeon joins adjacent toes with a soft-tissue web to stabilize or address a painful toe deformity. Compare 28280 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Indiana.
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 28280 in Indiana?
Indiana 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
$466.38
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Indiana
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$303.20
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Indiana
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.
Foot surgery
About 28280: Toe syndactylization for deformity
Report toe syndactylization when a surgeon joins adjacent toes with a soft-tissue web to stabilize or address a painful toe deformity.
This operation creates a soft-tissue connection between adjacent toes, sometimes described as a Kelikian-type procedure. A foot and ankle surgeon or podiatric surgeon may use it to stabilize a painful overlapping or deviated toe by linking it to its neighbor. It is performed in an operating room, commonly in an outpatient surgical setting. The service is the creation of the connection between toes, not simply a tendon release or a correction that reshapes toe bone.
Report 28280 when the operative work includes this joining procedure. The note should identify the toes and side treated, the deformity or instability addressed, and the technique performed. For bilateral procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 28280
- 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 is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU5.20 · 35%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.17 · 62%
- Malpractice RVU0.54 · 4%
349
Medicare services in 2024 · #3866 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.
28280 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Indiana, from the same CMS release.
$404.07
28286 addresses repair of a cock-up fifth toe; 28280 joins adjacent toes to create a soft-tissue connection.
$353.73
28272 is a toe-joint release. It does not describe syndactylization between adjacent toes.
Compare 28280 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
Indiana →
Office / nonfacility
$466.38
Facility
$303.20
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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 28280 in Indiana.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,167
- Code
- 28280
- Physician work
- 5.20
- Practice expense
- 9.17
- Malpractice
- 0.54
GPCI2026.csv
52
- Locality
- Indiana
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.927
- Malpractice
- 0.486
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 5.20 | × 1.000 | 5.2000 |
| Practice expense | 9.17 | × 0.927 | 8.5006 |
| Malpractice | 0.54 | × 0.486 | 0.2624 |
| Total RVUs | 13.9630 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Indiana$466.38
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.2 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 9.17 | 0.927 |
| Malpractice | 0.54 | 0.486 |
(5.2 × 1 + 9.17 × 0.927 + 0.54 × 0.486) × $33.4009 = $466.38
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.2 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 3.9 | 0.927 |
| Malpractice | 0.54 | 0.486 |
(5.2 × 1 + 3.9 × 0.927 + 0.54 × 0.486) × $33.4009 = $303.20
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.
28280 billing questions
How is 28280 different from hammertoe correction?
28280 joins adjacent toes with a soft-tissue web. Use 28285 when the surgeon performs the specified hammertoe correction rather than syndactylization.
Does 28280 describe fusion of the toe bones?
The procedure joins adjacent toes through soft tissue; the work is not simply an osseous fusion.
Can a toe-joint release be reported instead?
28272 describes release of a toe joint. It is distinct from creating a soft-tissue connection between adjacent toes.
How is a bilateral procedure paid?
CMS lists bilateral procedure payment with modifier 50 at 150%.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant surgeon be paid for this procedure?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when medical necessity is documented. Co-surgeons and team surgery are 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.
3,16428264,,Release of midfoot joint,A,,10.38,16.62,,7.46,,1.73,28.73,19.57,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,16528270,,Release of foot contracture,A,,4.81,9.32,,4.21,,0.50,14.63,9.52,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,16628272,,Release of toe joint each,A,,3.82,7.12,,3.00,,0.35,11.29,7.17,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,16728280,,Fusion of toes,A,,5.20,9.17,,3.90,,0.54,14.91,9.64,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,16828285,,Repair of hammertoe,A,,5.48,10.32,,5.00,,0.62,16.42,11.10,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,16928286,,Repair of hammertoe,A,,4.58,7.90,,3.34,,0.40,12.88,8.32,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,17028288,,Partial removal of foot bone,A,,5.87,11.73,,5.92,,0.68,18.28,12.47,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4906102,IL,12,EAST ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.920,2.014
5006102,IL,15,SUBURBAN CHICAGO,1.007,1.027,1.772
5106102,IL,99,REST OF ILLINOIS,1.000,0.913,1.563
5208102,IN,00,INDIANA,1.000,0.927,0.486
5305102,IA,00,IOWA,1.000,0.915,0.397
5405202,KS,00,KANSAS,1.000,0.904,0.504
5515102,KY,00,KENTUCKY,1.000,0.889,0.915