No office rate
Use 27557 when open knee-dislocation treatment includes repair of one or more ligaments, with or without a tendon graft. Code 27556 covers open treatment without that specified ligament repair.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27556 Knee dislocation Medicare reimbursement rates in Iowa
Reports open treatment of a tibiofemoral knee dislocation, including internal fixation when performed, without the ligament repair described by higher-level codes. Compare 27556 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Iowa.
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 27556 in Iowa?
Iowa 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
$720.02
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Iowa
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 27556: Open treatment of knee dislocation
Reports open treatment of a tibiofemoral knee dislocation, including internal fixation when performed, without the ligament repair described by higher-level codes.
This code covers open treatment of a tibiofemoral knee dislocation, typically performed by an orthopedic surgeon in an operating room when the joint requires direct surgical reduction or stabilization. Internal fixation is included when needed. It is for the knee joint dislocation, not a dislocated patella, which has a separate code family.
Choose this code when the dislocation is treated openly and the service does not include the ligament repair specified by 27557 or the associated fracture treatment specified by 27558. The operative report should identify the dislocation, open approach, and any fixation performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For same-session procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Modifier 50 bilateral payment is 150%. An assistant may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 27556
- 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 RVU12.68 · 53%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.53 · 36%
- Malpractice RVU2.70 · 11%
51
Medicare services in 2024 · #5341 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.
27556 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Iowa, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
27558 includes ligament repair and open treatment of associated fracture(s) when performed. 27556 does not describe that combination of services.
$559.24
27550 is for closed treatment of a knee dislocation without anesthesia; 27556 is for open treatment.
No office rate
27552 is for closed treatment of a knee dislocation requiring anesthesia. Choose 27556 when the dislocation is treated through an open approach.
Compare 27556 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
Iowa →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$720.02
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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 27556 in Iowa.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,947
- Code
- 27556
- Physician work
- 12.68
- Practice expense
- 8.53
- Malpractice
- 2.70
GPCI2026.csv
53
- Locality
- Iowa
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.915
- Malpractice
- 0.397
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 12.68 | × 1.000 | 12.6800 |
| Practice expense | 8.53 | × 0.915 | 7.8049 |
| Malpractice | 2.70 | × 0.397 | 1.0719 |
| Total RVUs | 21.5568 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Iowa$720.02
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 12.68 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 8.53 | 0.915 |
| Malpractice | 2.7 | 0.397 |
(12.68 × 1 + 8.53 × 0.915 + 2.7 × 0.397) × $33.4009 = $720.02
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.
27556 billing questions
When should 27556 be chosen over 27557?
Use 27556 for open knee-dislocation treatment without the ligament repair described by 27557. When ligament repair is part of the treatment, evaluate the more specific code.
Is internal fixation separately reported?
Internal fixation, when performed as part of the open treatment, is included in 27556.
How does 27556 differ from 27550 and 27552?
27556 describes open treatment. Codes 27550 and 27552 describe closed treatment, with 27552 used when anesthesia is required.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral treatment?
CMS classifies this as a bilateral procedure; payment with modifier 50 is at 150%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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.
2,94427540,,Treat knee fracture,A,,11.02,9.48,NA,9.48,,2.33,22.83,22.83,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,94527550,,Treat knee dislocation,A,,5.83,11.35,,8.50,,1.33,18.51,15.66,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,94627552,,Treat knee dislocation,A,,7.98,8.49,NA,8.49,,1.68,18.15,18.15,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,94727556,,Treat knee dislocation,A,,12.68,8.53,NA,8.53,,2.70,23.91,23.91,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,94827557,,Treat knee dislocation,A,,15.50,9.43,NA,9.43,,3.31,28.24,28.24,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,94927558,,Treat knee dislocation,A,,17.93,10.20,NA,10.20,,3.83,31.96,31.96,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,95027560,,Treat kneecap dislocation,A,,3.89,9.17,,7.12,,0.91,13.97,11.92,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
5607202,LA,01,NEW ORLEANS,1.000,0.941,1.136