$459.82
Choose 28210 for secondary extensor tendon reconstruction using a free graft. Choose 28208 for extensor tendon repair without a free graft.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
28210 Tendon repair Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Reports delayed or secondary reconstruction of a foot extensor tendon using a free graft, including the graft harvest, when direct repair is not performed. Compare 28210 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Kentucky.
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 28210 in Kentucky?
Kentucky 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
$555.77
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$377.61
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
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 28210: Secondary extensor tendon repair with free graft
Reports delayed or secondary reconstruction of a foot extensor tendon using a free graft, including the graft harvest, when direct repair is not performed.
This service reconstructs a foot extensor tendon during a secondary repair using a free tendon graft. It is used for a tendon that cannot be repaired directly in a delayed setting, such as after a prior injury has left a gap or deficient tendon tissue. An orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon or podiatric surgeon typically performs the reconstruction in an operating room. The graft harvest is part of the service.
Report 28210 when the operative record supports a secondary extensor tendon reconstruction with a free graft; distinguish it from a repair without graft and from graft repair of a flexor tendon. Document the involved tendon, the reason a secondary reconstruction was needed, and the graft use and harvest. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon and team-surgery payment are not permitted. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
CMS billing rules for 28210
- 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
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU6.36 · 36%
- Practice expense (office) RVU10.76 · 60%
- Malpractice RVU0.78 · 4%
171
Medicare services in 2024 · #4469 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.
28210 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
$567.21
Both describe secondary tendon repair with a free graft, but 28202 is for a foot flexor tendon and 28210 is for a foot extensor tendon.
$465.99
28200 is a foot flexor tendon repair without a free graft. It does not describe secondary extensor reconstruction with grafting.
Compare 28210 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
Kentucky →
Office / nonfacility
$555.77
Facility
$377.61
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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 28210 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,150
- Code
- 28210
- Physician work
- 6.36
- Practice expense
- 10.76
- Malpractice
- 0.78
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 6.36 | × 1.000 | 6.3600 |
| Practice expense | 10.76 | × 0.889 | 9.5656 |
| Malpractice | 0.78 | × 0.915 | 0.7137 |
| Total RVUs | 16.6393 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Kentucky$555.77
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 6.36 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 10.76 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 0.78 | 0.915 |
(6.36 × 1 + 10.76 × 0.889 + 0.78 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $555.77
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 6.36 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 4.76 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 0.78 | 0.915 |
(6.36 × 1 + 4.76 × 0.889 + 0.78 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $377.61
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.
28210 billing questions
How does 28210 differ from 28208?
28210 is for secondary foot extensor tendon reconstruction with a free graft. 28208 describes extensor tendon repair without a free graft.
Does 28210 include obtaining the graft?
Yes. Graft harvest is included in this secondary repair service, rather than separately represented by 28210.
When is 28210 preferred to 28202?
Use 28210 for a foot extensor tendon reconstructed with a free graft. 28202 is the corresponding graft repair code for a flexor tendon.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral work?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; modifier 50 is not appropriate.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50% when performed in the same session.
What documentation supports reporting 28210?
Document the extensor tendon treated, why repair was secondary rather than primary, and the use and harvest of a free graft.
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.
3,14728200,,Repair of foot tendon,A,,4.62,9.92,,4.19,,0.56,15.10,9.37,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,14828202,,Repair/graft of foot tendon,A,,6.89,10.58,,4.54,,0.75,18.22,12.18,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,14928208,,Repair of foot tendon,A,,4.40,9.96,,4.31,,0.56,14.92,9.27,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,15028210,,Repair/graft of foot tendon,A,,6.36,10.76,,4.76,,0.78,17.90,11.90,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,15128220,,Release of foot tendon,A,,4.55,8.38,,3.65,,0.44,13.37,8.64,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,15228222,,Release of foot tendons,A,,5.62,10.03,,4.21,,0.62,16.27,10.45,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,15328225,,Release of foot tendon,A,,3.69,8.21,,3.44,,0.39,12.29,7.52,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
5814112,ME,03,SOUTHERN MAINE,1.000,0.991,0.631