$135.05
Use 27648 for injecting contrast into the ankle joint. Use 73615 for the radiographic arthrogram examination and its supervision and interpretation.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27648 Arthrogram injection Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Reports intra-articular contrast injection into the ankle to prepare for arthrographic imaging when clinicians need to evaluate joint structures. Compare 27648 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Minnesota.
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 27648 in Minnesota?
Minnesota 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
$208.41
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Minnesota
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$40.69
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Minnesota
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.
Diagnostic imaging
About 27648: Ankle arthrography contrast injection
Reports intra-articular contrast injection into the ankle to prepare for arthrographic imaging when clinicians need to evaluate joint structures.
A physician, commonly a radiologist, places a needle or catheter into the ankle joint and injects contrast for an arthrogram. The injection precedes imaging used to assess the joint, such as radiography, CT, or MRI. Ankle arthrography may be requested to evaluate suspected cartilage or ligament injury, joint-surface abnormalities, or persistent symptoms after an ankle injury.
Select this code for the ankle-joint injection, not for an injection into another joint or for the imaging acquisition and interpretation. The record should identify the ankle, the clinical indication, and the intra-articular contrast injection. Report the imaging service separately when performed and documented; ankle arthrography imaging may be reported with 73615. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others 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.
CMS billing rules for 27648
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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 RVU0.94 · 15%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.11 · 83%
- Malpractice RVU0.14 · 2%
414
Medicare services in 2024 · #3710 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.
27648 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
$234.31
Both involve injection for arthrography, but 27093 applies to the hip joint rather than the ankle.
$319.88
73722 reports MRI of a lower-extremity joint with contrast. It describes the MRI service, not the ankle-joint contrast injection reported with 27648.
Compare 27648 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
Minnesota →
Office / nonfacility
$208.41
Facility
$40.69
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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 27648 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,992
- Code
- 27648
- Physician work
- 0.94
- Practice expense
- 5.11
- Malpractice
- 0.14
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 0.94 | × 1.000 | 0.9400 |
| Practice expense | 5.11 | × 1.029 | 5.2582 |
| Malpractice | 0.14 | × 0.296 | 0.0414 |
| Total RVUs | 6.2396 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Minnesota$208.41
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.94 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 5.11 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 0.14 | 0.296 |
(0.94 × 1 + 5.11 × 1.029 + 0.14 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $208.41
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 0.94 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 0.23 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 0.14 | 0.296 |
(0.94 × 1 + 0.23 × 1.029 + 0.14 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $40.69
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.
27648 billing questions
How is 27648 different from 73615?
27648 reports injection of contrast into the ankle joint. Code 73615 reports the radiographic arthrogram examination and its supervision and interpretation.
Can the ankle MRI be reported with the injection?
Yes, when an MRI is performed and documented, report the applicable MRI service separately. Code 73722 describes MRI of a lower-extremity joint with contrast.
Does this code apply to a knee or hip arthrogram?
No. This code is specific to the ankle joint; 27370 describes injection for knee arthrography, and 27093 describes injection for hip arthrography.
What documentation supports reporting 27648?
Document the ankle joint treated, the indication, and that contrast was injected intra-articularly to prepare for arthrographic imaging.
How is a bilateral ankle procedure reported?
Use modifier 50 for a bilateral procedure. CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150% under the stated rule.
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.
2,98927645,,Resect tibia tumor,A,,26.53,15.41,NA,15.41,,5.64,47.58,47.58,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,99027646,,Resect fibula tumor,A,,22.63,14.16,NA,14.16,,4.82,41.61,41.61,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,99127647,,Resect talus/calcaneus tum,A,,19.75,5.73,NA,5.73,,1.68,27.16,27.16,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,99227648,,Injection for ankle x-ray,A,,0.94,5.11,,0.23,,0.14,6.19,1.31,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,99327650,,Repair achilles tendon,A,,8.98,8.26,NA,8.26,,1.45,18.69,18.69,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,99427652,,Repair/graft achilles tendon,A,,10.51,6.56,NA,6.56,,1.39,18.46,18.46,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,99527654,,Repair of achilles tendon,A,,10.27,8.35,NA,8.35,,1.62,20.24,20.24,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6314212,MA,99,REST OF MASSACHUSETTS,1.016,1.053,0.797
6408202,MI,01,DETROIT,1.000,0.965,1.686
6508202,MI,99,REST OF MICHIGAN,1.000,0.913,1.129
6606202,MN,00,MINNESOTA,1.000,1.029,0.296
6707302,MS,00,MISSISSIPPI,1.000,0.861,0.739
6805302,MO,02,METROPOLITAN KANSAS CITY,1.000,0.939,0.977
6905302,MO,01,METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.952,1.002