No office rate
Use 27792 for open treatment of a distal fibular fracture. Use 27829 for open treatment of distal tibiofibular syndesmotic disruption; both may be reported when both services are documented.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27829 Syndesmosis repair Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Reports open reduction and stabilization of an unstable distal tibiofibular syndesmosis, commonly treated during surgery for an ankle fracture. Compare 27829 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 27829 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
No supported rate
Facility setting
$644.33
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.
Orthopedic surgery
About 27829: Open syndesmosis stabilization
Reports open reduction and stabilization of an unstable distal tibiofibular syndesmosis, commonly treated during surgery for an ankle fracture.
The surgeon exposes and reduces a disrupted distal tibiofibular syndesmosis, the ligament-supported joint between the lower tibia and fibula above the ankle. Stabilization may use a screw or another fixation construct. Orthopedic surgeons and orthopedic trauma surgeons typically perform this operation in a hospital or ambulatory surgical setting, often while repairing an associated ankle fracture. The code concerns the syndesmotic disruption, not fixation of the malleolar fracture itself.
Report it when the operative record documents syndesmotic instability and the open reduction or stabilization performed. An ankle fracture repair alone does not establish that this additional work occurred. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. CMS permits payment for an assistant at surgery and co-surgeons; team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 27829
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU8.58 · 43%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.94 · 49%
- Malpractice RVU1.63 · 8%
13.4K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1319 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.
27829 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Code 27814 describes open treatment of a bimalleolar ankle fracture. Code 27829 describes the separate syndesmotic disruption, not the malleolar fracture.
No office rate
Code 27822 describes open treatment of a trimalleolar fracture without fixation of the posterior lip. Code 27829 identifies open treatment of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis.
No office rate
Code 27823 describes trimalleolar fracture treatment with posterior-lip fixation. Choose 27829 for separately documented open syndesmotic reduction or stabilization.
Compare 27829 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
Unavailable
Facility
$644.33
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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 27829 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,065
- Code
- 27829
- Physician work
- 8.58
- Practice expense
- 9.94
- Malpractice
- 1.63
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 8.58 | × 1.000 | 8.5800 |
| Practice expense | 9.94 | × 1.029 | 10.2283 |
| Malpractice | 1.63 | × 0.296 | 0.4825 |
| Total RVUs | 19.2907 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Minnesota$644.33
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 8.58 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 9.94 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 1.63 | 0.296 |
(8.58 × 1 + 9.94 × 1.029 + 1.63 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $644.33
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.
27829 billing questions
When is 27829 appropriate with ankle fracture fixation?
Report it when the surgeon separately documents an unstable distal tibiofibular syndesmosis and performs open reduction or stabilization. The fracture repair alone does not describe this service.
How does 27829 differ from bimalleolar or trimalleolar fracture codes?
Those fracture codes describe treatment of the malleoli. Code 27829 describes open treatment of the distal tibiofibular syndesmotic disruption, which may be treated during the same operation.
Does 27829 include syndesmotic fixation hardware?
The service includes internal fixation when performed. Do not separately report the fixation construct as another service under this code.
What documentation supports reporting 27829?
The operative report should identify syndesmotic disruption or instability and describe its open reduction or stabilization, in addition to any associated fracture repair.
How does Medicare treat bilateral reporting and surgical assistance?
CMS pays bilateral reporting with modifier 50 at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery and co-surgeon payment are permitted; 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 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.
3,06227826,,Treat lower leg fracture,A,,10.82,11.43,NA,11.43,,2.09,24.34,24.34,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,06327827,,Treat lower leg fracture,A,,14.42,14.17,NA,14.17,,2.94,31.53,31.53,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,06427828,,Treat lower leg fracture,A,,17.97,15.22,NA,15.22,,3.64,36.83,36.83,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,06527829,,Treat lower leg joint,A,,8.58,9.94,NA,9.94,,1.63,20.15,20.15,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,06627830,,Treat lower leg dislocation,A,,3.86,8.34,,6.11,,0.83,13.03,10.80,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,06727831,,Treat lower leg dislocation,A,,4.61,6.45,NA,6.45,,1.00,12.06,12.06,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,06827832,,Treat lower leg dislocation,A,,9.92,9.43,NA,9.43,,2.11,21.46,21.46,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,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