27396 applies to transfer or transplantation of a single thigh tendon; 27397 applies when multiple tendons are transferred.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27397 Tendon transfer Medicare reimbursement rates in Oregon
Report this procedure when a surgeon transfers or transplants multiple tendons in the thigh to redirect muscle pull and improve function or correct imbalance. Compare 27397 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Oregon.
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 27397 in Oregon?
Oregon 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
No supported rate
Facility setting
$828.98–$880.19
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 27397: Multiple thigh tendon transfer
Report this procedure when a surgeon transfers or transplants multiple tendons in the thigh to redirect muscle pull and improve function or correct imbalance.
An orthopedic surgeon transfers or transplants multiple thigh tendons, moving their attachments so muscle force acts in a different direction. The operation may be used to address weakness, muscle imbalance, or deformity; orthopedic and pediatric orthopedic surgeons perform it in an operating room, typically in a hospital or ambulatory surgical facility. The operative report should identify the tendons moved, the transfer or new attachment, the side, and the clinical problem being treated.
Select this code for multiple tendons; a transfer of a single thigh tendon is reported with 27396. Tendon lengthening is a different service, even when performed to address a similar functional problem. Medicare 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 the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 27397
- 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 not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU12.34 · 48%
- Practice expense (office) RVU10.68 · 42%
- Malpractice RVU2.62 · 10%
25
Medicare services in 2024 · #5780 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.
27397 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Oregon, from the same CMS release.
27393 describes thigh tendon lengthening, which changes tendon length. Use 27397 when multiple tendons are transferred to new attachments.
27394 is for lengthening multiple thigh tendons. The number of tendons alone does not make it a transfer code; the operative action distinguishes the services.
Compare 27397 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
Portland →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$880.19
Rest Of Oregon →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$828.98
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27397 billing questions
How is this code different from 27396?
Use 27397 for transfer or transplantation of multiple thigh tendons. Use 27396 when the operation involves a single thigh tendon.
Can tendon lengthening be reported with this procedure?
Lengthening changes a tendon’s length, while this service relocates tendon attachments. Report separately performed services only when the operative documentation supports distinct procedures.
What documentation supports reporting multiple tendons?
The operative report should identify the tendons transferred, their new attachments, the side, and the functional problem treated. It should make clear that more than one tendon was moved.
How does Medicare handle bilateral surgery?
CMS pays 150% when the bilateral procedure is reported with modifier 50. The procedure also has a 90-day global period.
Can an assistant surgeon be reported?
CMS indicates that an assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.
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.
