$651.93
Choose 27685 for lengthening or shortening one tendon. Choose 27686 for multiple tendons treated through the same incision.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27686 Tendon adjustment Medicare reimbursement rates in New Mexico
Reports operative lengthening or shortening of multiple leg or ankle tendons through one incision to address contracture, imbalance, or restricted motion. Compare 27686 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in New Mexico.
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 27686 in New Mexico?
New Mexico 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
$493.80
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: New Mexico
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 27686: Multiple lower-leg tendon lengthening or shortening
Reports operative lengthening or shortening of multiple leg or ankle tendons through one incision to address contracture, imbalance, or restricted motion.
This code describes surgically changing the length of more than one tendon in the leg or ankle through the same incision. An orthopedic foot-and-ankle surgeon or podiatric surgeon may perform the procedure to address tendon contracture or imbalance that limits motion or alters foot and ankle position. The operative report should identify the tendons treated, the lengthening or shortening performed, and the shared incision approach.
Report this code for the multiple-tendon procedure through one incision, rather than reporting the single-tendon service for each tendon treated through that incision. 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 other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. For a bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50, CMS pays at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 27686
- 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU7.56 · 50%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.28 · 42%
- Malpractice RVU1.22 · 8%
329
Medicare services in 2024 · #3923 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.
27686 compared with similar codes
Office rates for New Mexico, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
27687 describes a calf tendon recession. This code is for lengthening or shortening multiple leg or ankle tendons through one incision.
No office rate
27680 addresses tendon release or tenolysis. This code applies when the surgeon surgically changes the length of multiple tendons.
No office rate
27690 describes transfer of a tendon to a different position. This code describes lengthening or shortening multiple tendons without that transfer.
Compare 27686 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
New Mexico →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$493.80
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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 27686 in New Mexico.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,006
- Code
- 27686
- Physician work
- 7.56
- Practice expense
- 6.28
- Malpractice
- 1.22
GPCI2026.csv
77
- Locality
- New Mexico
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.917
- Malpractice
- 1.201
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 7.56 | × 1.000 | 7.5600 |
| Practice expense | 6.28 | × 0.917 | 5.7588 |
| Malpractice | 1.22 | × 1.201 | 1.4652 |
| Total RVUs | 14.7840 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, New Mexico$493.80
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 7.56 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 6.28 | 0.917 |
| Malpractice | 1.22 | 1.201 |
(7.56 × 1 + 6.28 × 0.917 + 1.22 × 1.201) × $33.4009 = $493.80
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.
27686 billing questions
When should this be selected instead of 27685?
Use 27686 when multiple tendons are lengthened or shortened through the same incision. Code 27685 describes the single-tendon service.
Is the code reported once for each tendon?
No. For multiple tendons treated through the same incision, report this multiple-tendon code rather than multiplying it by the number of tendons.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Document each tendon treated, whether it was lengthened or shortened, and that the tendons were addressed through the same incision.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative billing?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
How are bilateral and same-session procedures handled?
A bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are reduced.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted. 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.
3,00327680,,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
3,00927691,,Revise lower leg tendon,A,,10.23,9.04,NA,9.04,,1.76,21.03,21.03,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
7414312,NH,40,NEW HAMPSHIRE,1.000,1.041,0.875
7512402,NJ,01,NORTHERN NJ,1.063,1.160,1.068
7612402,NJ,99,REST OF NEW JERSEY,1.040,1.092,1.097
7704212,NM,05,NEW MEXICO,1.000,0.917,1.201
7813202,NY,01,MANHATTAN,1.064,1.162,1.586
7913202,NY,02,NYC SUBURBS/LONG ISLAND,1.064,1.189,1.857
8013202,NY,03,POUGHKPSIE/N NYC SUBURBS,1.045,1.095,1.210