Billing code 21073: TMJ manipulationMedicare rate & RVUs in Massachusetts
Reports manipulation of a temporomandibular joint under general or monitored anesthesia care to address restricted jaw movement such as a closed lock.
Medicare pays $444.40–$491.22 for 21073 in the office in Massachusetts, from Rest Of Massachusetts to Metropolitan Boston. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 21073 covers
An oral and maxillofacial surgeon or another qualified surgeon uses this service to manipulate the temporomandibular joint while the patient is under anesthesia. A typical indication is restricted mandibular opening from a locked or poorly mobile joint. The service may be performed in a hospital operating room or ambulatory surgery center; the defining feature is manipulation under anesthesia, not an open operation on the joint.
Report the code when the documented service is TMJ manipulation requiring anesthesia, rather than an office-based maneuver or a separate operation such as removal of joint tissue. The record should support the joint condition, the restricted movement prompting treatment, anesthesia use, the manipulation performed, and laterality. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same 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 requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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.
Where 21073 pays more and less in Massachusetts
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Boston | $491.22 | $244.76 |
| Rest Of Massachusetts | $444.40 | $227.04 |
How the 21073 rate is calculated
Each of 21073’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 21073
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work3.36
3.36 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense9.03
9.03 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.48
0.48 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
12.8700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$429.87
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 21073
21073 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 21073
TMJ manipulation
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 21073
TMJ manipulation
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
21073 without 50 · national office
$429.87
TMJ manipulation
21073-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$644.81
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
21073 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 21050Condylectomy
- Choose 21073 when the joint is manipulated under anesthesia. Choose 21050 when the surgeon performs a condylectomy.
- 21060TMJ meniscectomy
- 21073 covers manipulation under anesthesia; 21060 applies when TMJ meniscal tissue is surgically removed.
- 21240Jaw joint reconstruction
- 21073 is manipulation without an open arthroplasty. Use 21240 when the documented service is TMJ arthroplasty.
- 21242Jaw joint reconstruction
- Use 21242 for TMJ arthroplasty with an alloplastic replacement; 21073 is for manipulation under anesthesia.
21073 billing questions
When should this be reported instead of an office manipulation?
Use 21073 for TMJ manipulation that requires anesthesia, such as treatment of a restricted or locked jaw under general anesthesia or monitored anesthesia care. An office maneuver without anesthesia does not meet that distinction.
Does this code describe open TMJ surgery?
No. It describes manipulation under anesthesia. Procedures that remove joint structures or perform arthroplasty are reported according to the operation actually performed.
How is bilateral manipulation reported?
When both TMJs are manipulated, report modifier 50. CMS identifies bilateral payment with modifier 50 at 150%.
What documentation supports the service?
Document the joint problem and resulting motion restriction, the reason manipulation was needed, anesthesia use, the manipulation performed, and the treated side or sides.
How does the global period affect related care?
The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. CMS applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction when other procedures are performed in the same session.
Can an assistant or another surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when medical necessity is documented. CMS does not permit co-surgeons or team surgery 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 indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
Fee sheets
Put 21073 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →