Billing code 21344: Frontal sinus repairMedicare rate & RVUs in Nebraska
Open repair of a complicated frontal sinus fracture, reported for operative treatment of a complex fracture pattern involving the sinus or adjacent structures.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 21344 in Nebraska.
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 21344 covers
Code 21344 represents open operative repair of a complex fracture involving the frontal sinus, the air space behind the forehead. Facial trauma, otolaryngology, oral and maxillofacial, or neurosurgical specialists may perform the repair in an operating room. The injury may involve sinus walls, the drainage pathway, or adjacent cranial structures and require surgical exposure and reconstruction. A posterior-table injury with intracranial risk is one representative complex pattern, but selection follows the documented fracture and operative treatment, not one finding alone.
Choose 21344 for open treatment of a complicated frontal sinus fracture; a depressed frontal sinus fracture treated openly may instead fit the distinct 21343 pathway. The operative report should identify the fracture pattern and involved structures, explain the open repair, and describe reduction, reconstruction, and fixation when performed. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For same-session multiple procedures, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and additional procedures at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons are permitted; 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.
21344 in Nebraska
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | Unavailable | $1,120.43 |
How the 21344 rate is calculated
Each of 21344’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 · 21344
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work21.03
21.03 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense12.31
12.31 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice3.05
3.05 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
36.3900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,215.46
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 21344
21344 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 21344
Frontal sinus repair
| 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) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 2 | 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 · 21344
Frontal sinus repair
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
21344 without 51 · national facility
$1,215.46
Frontal sinus repair
21344-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$607.73
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%).
21344 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 21343Frontal sinus repair
- Both address open frontal sinus fracture treatment. Use 21344 for a complicated fracture pattern; 21343 is for a depressed frontal sinus fracture.
- 21339Nasoethmoid repair
- 21339 treats an open nasoethmoid fracture with fixation. It is not the code for open repair of the frontal sinus fracture.
- 21346Midface fracture repair
- 21346 addresses open treatment of a nasomaxillary fracture with fixation, rather than a complicated frontal sinus fracture.
- 21385Orbital fracture repair
- 21385 describes open treatment of an orbital fracture through a transantral approach; 21344 addresses the frontal sinus fracture.
21344 billing questions
How do I distinguish 21344 from 21343?
21344 is for open treatment of a complicated frontal sinus fracture. Code 21343 describes open treatment of a depressed frontal sinus fracture; choose based on the documented fracture pattern and operative service.
Does fixation support reporting 21344?
Fixation may be part of the open fracture repair. Document the fracture anatomy, operative approach, and reduction or fixation performed.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS indicates assistant-at-surgery payment may be made and permits co-surgeons. Team surgery is not permitted for this code.
Should modifier 50 be appended?
No. The descriptor and anatomy make modifier 50 inappropriate for this service.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and additional procedures are paid at 50%.
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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