No office rate
27685 covers length adjustment of one tendon; 27686 is reported for each additional tendon treated.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27685 Tendon lengthening Medicare reimbursement rates in New Jersey
Reports surgical lengthening or shortening of one tendon in the leg or ankle, such as tendon length adjustment for a fixed deformity. Compare 27685 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in New Jersey.
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 27685 in New Jersey?
New Jersey has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
$733.26–$766.84
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$473.20–$490.58
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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 27685: Single lower leg or ankle tendon length adjustment
Reports surgical lengthening or shortening of one tendon in the leg or ankle, such as tendon length adjustment for a fixed deformity.
An orthopedic or podiatric surgeon surgically lengthens or shortens one tendon in the leg or ankle to change its effective length. A familiar example is lengthening the Achilles tendon to address a fixed ankle or foot deformity associated with tendon contracture. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room or ambulatory surgery setting.
Select this code when the operative work changes the length of a single tendon; document the tendon treated, the side, the reason for changing its length, and the technique performed. For each additional tendon treated, 27686 is the related add-on code rather than another unit of 27685. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are reduced to 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be allowed; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 27685
- 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 paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU6.52 · 32%
- Practice expense (office) RVU12.97 · 64%
- Malpractice RVU0.92 · 5%
5.4K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1822 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.
27685 compared with similar codes
Office rates for New Jersey, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
27687 describes gastrocnemius recession. Use it when the operative target is the gastrocnemius rather than length adjustment of a single leg or ankle tendon.
No office rate
27680 releases adhesions around a tendon to improve glide. It is not the code for surgically lengthening or shortening that tendon.
No office rate
27690 describes transfer of a superficial tendon to redirect its function; 27685 changes a tendon’s length without describing a transfer.
Compare 27685 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Northern Nj →
Office / nonfacility
$766.84
Facility
$490.58
Rest Of New Jersey →
Office / nonfacility
$733.26
Facility
$473.20
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27685 billing questions
When should 27685 be selected instead of 27686?
Use 27685 for the first tendon whose length is changed. Report 27686 for each additional tendon treated in the same operative session.
Does this code describe tendon repair?
No. It describes surgically changing a tendon’s length. A repair code is considered when the operative work restores a torn or disrupted tendon rather than lengthening or shortening it.
What documentation supports reporting 27685?
The operative report should identify the tendon and side, the clinical reason for changing its length, and the lengthening or shortening work performed.
How is bilateral 27685 reported?
For bilateral procedures, report modifier 50. CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be allowed. Co-surgeon payment requires 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 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.
3,00227676,,Repair lower leg tendons,A,,8.51,7.20,NA,7.20,,1.48,17.19,17.19,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,00327680,,Release of lower leg tendon,A,,5.73,5.54,NA,5.54,,0.96,12.23,12.23,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,00427681,,Release of lower leg tendons,A,,6.87,6.55,NA,6.55,,1.24,14.66,14.66,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,00527685,,Revision of lower leg tendon,A,,6.52,12.97,,5.84,,0.92,20.41,13.28,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,00627686,,Revise lower leg tendons,A,,7.56,6.28,NA,6.28,,1.22,15.06,15.06,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,00727687,,Revision of calf tendon,A,,6.25,5.77,NA,5.77,,0.98,13.00,13.00,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,00827690,,Revise lower leg tendon,A,,8.94,7.91,NA,7.91,,1.36,18.21,18.21,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00