$457.59
Choose 28020 for an intertarsal or tarsometatarsal joint; choose 28022 for a metatarsophalangeal joint.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
28020 Foot joint arthrotomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Kansas
Report this open joint procedure for exploration, drainage, or removal of material from an intertarsal or tarsometatarsal joint. Compare 28020 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Kansas.
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 28020 in Kansas?
Kansas 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
$516.43
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kansas
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$324.09
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kansas
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 28020: Intertarsal or tarsometatarsal joint arthrotomy
Report this open joint procedure for exploration, drainage, or removal of material from an intertarsal or tarsometatarsal joint.
This code describes an open incision into an intertarsal or tarsometatarsal joint to inspect the joint, drain it, or remove a loose body or foreign material. A foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon or podiatric surgeon typically performs the procedure in an operating room, for example when addressing a suspected joint loose body or an infection requiring drainage. The joint location distinguishes this service from arthrotomy codes for the metatarsophalangeal or toe interphalangeal joints.
Report the code when the operative record identifies the joint entered and documents the arthrotomy and work performed. Exploration, drainage, or removal through that same joint opening is included in this service. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 28020
- 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU5.02 · 30%
- Practice expense (office) RVU11.16 · 66%
- Malpractice RVU0.70 · 4%
276
Medicare services in 2024 · #4056 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.
28020 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kansas, from the same CMS release.
$435.45
Code 28024 identifies arthrotomy of a toe interphalangeal joint. Code 28020 covers the more proximal intertarsal or tarsometatarsal joints.
$376.85
Code 28050 specifies arthrotomy with biopsy at an intertarsal or tarsometatarsal joint. Use 28020 for exploration, drainage, or removal rather than a biopsy-focused service.
$477.39
Code 28070 describes removal of tarsal-joint synovium. Code 28020 describes joint exploration, drainage, or removal of a loose body or foreign material.
Compare 28020 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
Kansas →
Office / nonfacility
$516.43
Facility
$324.09
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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 28020 in Kansas.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,094
- Code
- 28020
- Physician work
- 5.02
- Practice expense
- 11.16
- Malpractice
- 0.70
GPCI2026.csv
54
- Locality
- Kansas
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.904
- Malpractice
- 0.504
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 5.02 | × 1.000 | 5.0200 |
| Practice expense | 11.16 | × 0.904 | 10.0886 |
| Malpractice | 0.70 | × 0.504 | 0.3528 |
| Total RVUs | 15.4614 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Kansas$516.43
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.02 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 11.16 | 0.904 |
| Malpractice | 0.7 | 0.504 |
(5.02 × 1 + 11.16 × 0.904 + 0.7 × 0.504) × $33.4009 = $516.43
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.02 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 4.79 | 0.904 |
| Malpractice | 0.7 | 0.504 |
(5.02 × 1 + 4.79 × 0.904 + 0.7 × 0.504) × $33.4009 = $324.09
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.
28020 billing questions
How do I distinguish this from 28022?
Use 28020 for an intertarsal or tarsometatarsal joint. Code 28022 is for a metatarsophalangeal joint.
When is 28024 the better choice?
Use 28024 when the arthrotomy is at a toe interphalangeal joint, rather than an intertarsal or tarsometatarsal joint.
Can exploration, drainage, and loose-body removal be reported separately?
Those actions are included when performed through the arthrotomy represented by this code. Document the joint entered and the work performed.
What documentation supports code selection?
The operative report should identify the specific intertarsal or tarsometatarsal joint and describe the arthrotomy and its purpose, such as exploration, drainage, or removal.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral procedures?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inapplicable and modifier 50 as inappropriate for this code.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full; other procedures in the session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. The code also has a 90-day global period.
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.
3,09128008,,Incision of foot fascia,A,,4.48,7.73,,3.36,,0.43,12.64,8.27,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09228010,,Incision of toe tendon,A,,2.90,3.89,,2.77,,0.26,7.05,5.93,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09328011,,Incision of toe tendons,A,,4.17,5.02,,3.34,,0.41,9.60,7.92,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09428020,,Exploration of foot joint,A,,5.02,11.16,,4.79,,0.70,16.88,10.51,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09528022,,Exploration of foot joint,A,,4.69,9.66,,4.16,,0.55,14.90,9.40,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09628024,,Exploration of toe joint,A,,4.41,9.27,,4.02,,0.49,14.17,8.92,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09728035,,Decompression of tibia nerve,A,,5.10,10.57,,4.53,,0.66,16.33,10.29,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
5707202,LA,99,REST OF LOUISIANA,1.000,0.885,0.958