Billing code 27680: Tendon releaseMedicare rate & RVUs in Minnesota
Surgical freeing of a single scar-tethered flexor or extensor tendon in the leg or ankle to restore tendon glide after trauma or prior surgery.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 27680 in Minnesota.
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 27680 covers
The surgeon frees a flexor or extensor tendon in the leg or ankle that is bound down by scar tissue and cannot glide normally. This may be considered when restricted tendon movement continues after an injury or prior operation and limits motion despite nonsurgical care. An orthopedic or foot-and-ankle surgeon typically performs the release in an operating room, such as a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center.
Report this code for release of one tendon; the operative report should identify the tendon and site, describe the adhesions, and document the work performed. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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.
27680 in Minnesota
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | Unavailable | $391.29 |
How the 27680 rate is calculated
Each of 27680’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 · 27680
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work5.73
5.73 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense5.54
5.54 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.96
0.96 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
12.2300
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$408.49
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 27680
27680 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 27680
Tendon release
| 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) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| 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 · 27680
Tendon release
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 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
27680 without 51 · national facility
$408.49
Tendon release
27680-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$204.25
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
27680 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 27681Tenolysis
- 27680 is for release of one tendon; 27681 is the related choice when multiple tendons are released.
- 27685Tendon lengthening
- 27680 frees a tendon tethered by adhesions. 27685 changes the length of a tendon when length, rather than scarring, is the operative problem.
- 27658Tendon repair
- 27680 releases adhesions around a tendon. 27658 is a primary tendon repair, used when the tendon itself requires repair rather than adhesion release.
27680 billing questions
When should 27680 be chosen over 27681?
Use 27680 for release of one lower-leg or ankle tendon. When the operative service releases multiple tendons, compare the documentation with 27681, the multiple-tendon sibling.
What documentation supports reporting 27680?
The operative report should identify the flexor or extensor tendon and its leg or ankle location, describe the tethering adhesions, and explain the release performed.
Can modifier 50 be reported for bilateral tendon releases?
CMS identifies modifier 50 as inappropriate for this code; its descriptor or anatomy does not receive a bilateral adjustment.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted for this code. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation; 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 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
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