No office rate
Use 27829 for operative treatment of a distal tibiofibular syndesmosis disruption. Use 27871 when the operative objective is fusion of the tibiofibular joint.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27871 Joint fusion Medicare reimbursement rates in Ohio
Reports operative fusion of the tibiofibular articulation, typically for persistent painful instability or other pathology requiring the joint to be surgically immobilized. Compare 27871 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Ohio.
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 27871 in Ohio?
Ohio 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
$623.58
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Ohio
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 27871: Tibiofibular joint arthrodesis
Reports operative fusion of the tibiofibular articulation, typically for persistent painful instability or other pathology requiring the joint to be surgically immobilized.
An orthopedic surgeon prepares the opposing tibial and fibular surfaces and stabilizes them so they can unite as one bone. The procedure is most often relevant to the distal tibiofibular articulation near the ankle, such as in selected cases of persistent painful instability or a problem following a syndesmotic injury. It is performed in an operating room; the operative report should identify the joint fused and the reason arthrodesis was chosen.
Report 27871 when the documented work is fusion of the tibiofibular joint, not treatment of an ankle joint alone or fixation of an acute syndesmotic disruption. The record should describe the pathology, joint preparation, fixation, and any grafting performed. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. For same-session procedures subject to the multiple-procedure rule, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Modifier 50 identifies bilateral surgery, paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 27871
- 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 RVU9.30 · 48%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.22 · 42%
- Malpractice RVU1.85 · 10%
361
Medicare services in 2024 · #3823 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.
27871 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Ohio, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
27870 fuses the ankle joint; 27871 fuses the tibiofibular joint. When both joints are separately fused, the operative documentation should distinguish the work on each.
Compare 27871 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
Ohio →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$623.58
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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 27871 in Ohio.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,075
- Code
- 27871
- Physician work
- 9.30
- Practice expense
- 8.22
- Malpractice
- 1.85
GPCI2026.csv
85
- Locality
- Ohio
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.913
- Malpractice
- 1.008
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 9.30 | × 1.000 | 9.3000 |
| Practice expense | 8.22 | × 0.913 | 7.5049 |
| Malpractice | 1.85 | × 1.008 | 1.8648 |
| Total RVUs | 18.6697 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Ohio$623.58
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 9.3 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 8.22 | 0.913 |
| Malpractice | 1.85 | 1.008 |
(9.3 × 1 + 8.22 × 0.913 + 1.85 × 1.008) × $33.4009 = $623.58
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.
27871 billing questions
How is 27871 different from 27829?
27871 reports fusion of the tibiofibular joint. Code 27829 describes operative treatment of a distal tibiofibular syndesmosis disruption, generally using stabilization rather than fusion.
Can 27871 be reported with ankle fusion?
It may be reported with 27870 when the surgeon separately fuses the tibiofibular joint and the ankle joint in the same session. The operative report should support each distinct joint procedure.
What documentation supports 27871?
Document the specific tibiofibular joint, the condition prompting fusion, the joint preparation and stabilization, and why fusion was performed rather than syndesmotic fixation.
How are bilateral procedures and same-session procedures paid?
Modifier 50 identifies bilateral surgery, which CMS pays at 150%. Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued same-session procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care for 90 days. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
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.
3,07227848,,Treat ankle dislocation,A,,11.39,8.55,NA,8.55,,2.15,22.09,22.09,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,07327860,,Fixation of ankle joint,A,,2.33,1.95,NA,1.95,,0.35,4.63,4.63,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,07427870,,Fusion of ankle joint open,A,,15.02,10.07,NA,10.07,,2.69,27.78,27.78,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,07527871,,Fusion of tibiofibular joint,A,,9.30,8.22,NA,8.22,,1.85,19.37,19.37,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,07627880,,Amputation of lower leg,A,,14.99,5.97,NA,5.97,,3.67,24.63,24.63,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,07727881,,Amputation of lower leg,A,,13.13,6.41,NA,6.41,,3.18,22.72,22.72,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,07827882,,Amputation of lower leg,A,,9.55,4.61,NA,4.61,,2.38,16.54,16.54,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
8213282,NY,99,REST OF NEW YORK,1.000,0.950,0.703
8311502,NC,00,NORTH CAROLINA,1.000,0.933,0.639
8403302,ND,01,NORTH DAKOTA**,1.000,1.000,0.406
8515202,OH,00,OHIO,1.000,0.913,1.008
8604312,OK,00,OKLAHOMA,1.000,0.893,0.777
8702302,OR,01,PORTLAND,1.016,1.111,0.744
8802302,OR,99,REST OF OREGON,1.000,0.996,0.703