$978.48
Use 28296 for an osteotomy near the first metatarsal head; 28295 describes correction with an osteotomy at the proximal first metatarsal.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
28296 Bunion correction Medicare reimbursement rates in Tennessee
Reports surgical correction of a bunion when the surgeon cuts and repositions the distal first metatarsal to realign the great toe. Compare 28296 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Tennessee.
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 28296 in Tennessee?
Tennessee 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
$817.31
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Tennessee
One mapped payment locality.
Facility setting
$454.49
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Tennessee
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.
Foot surgery
About 28296: Hallux valgus correction with distal metatarsal osteotomy
Reports surgical correction of a bunion when the surgeon cuts and repositions the distal first metatarsal to realign the great toe.
Code 28296 covers hallux valgus correction centered on an osteotomy near the head of the first metatarsal. An Austin or chevron bunionectomy is a familiar example. An orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon or podiatric surgeon typically performs the operation in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center. The surgeon repositions the bone to improve great-toe alignment and may perform associated soft-tissue work as part of the correction.
Select 28296 when the operative report documents a distal first metatarsal osteotomy for the bunion correction. The report should identify the side, osteotomy location, bone repositioning, and any additional osteotomy. A proximal metatarsal osteotomy, joint fusion, or double osteotomy points to another code. CMS assigns a 90-day global period that includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation. Team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 28296
- 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 RVU8.04 · 30%
- Practice expense (office) RVU17.59 · 67%
- Malpractice RVU0.82 · 3%
7.6K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1612 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.
28296 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Tennessee, from the same CMS release.
$955.61
Code 28296 represents a single distal metatarsal osteotomy. Code 28299 identifies hallux valgus correction with two osteotomies.
$950.57
Code 28297 involves joint fusion to correct hallux valgus. Code 28296 repositions the distal first metatarsal through an osteotomy.
$792.79
Code 28298 identifies correction using a proximal phalanx osteotomy; 28296 identifies a distal first metatarsal osteotomy.
Compare 28296 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
Tennessee →
Office / nonfacility
$817.31
Facility
$454.49
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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 28296 in Tennessee.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
3,175
- Code
- 28296
- Physician work
- 8.04
- Practice expense
- 17.59
- Malpractice
- 0.82
GPCI2026.csv
95
- Locality
- Tennessee
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.909
- Malpractice
- 0.537
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 8.04 | × 1.000 | 8.0400 |
| Practice expense | 17.59 | × 0.909 | 15.9893 |
| Malpractice | 0.82 | × 0.537 | 0.4403 |
| Total RVUs | 24.4696 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Office / nonfacility rate, Tennessee$817.31
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Office / nonfacility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 8.04 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 17.59 | 0.909 |
| Malpractice | 0.82 | 0.537 |
(8.04 × 1 + 17.59 × 0.909 + 0.82 × 0.537) × $33.4009 = $817.31
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 8.04 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 5.64 | 0.909 |
| Malpractice | 0.82 | 0.537 |
(8.04 × 1 + 5.64 × 0.909 + 0.82 × 0.537) × $33.4009 = $454.49
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.
28296 billing questions
How is 28296 distinguished from 28295?
Both involve first metatarsal osteotomy for hallux valgus, but 28296 identifies an osteotomy at the distal metatarsal; 28295 identifies one at the proximal metatarsal.
What if the surgeon also performs a proximal phalanx osteotomy?
Review the operative report for a double osteotomy. Code 28299 describes hallux valgus correction using two osteotomies, rather than the single distal metatarsal osteotomy represented by 28296.
Is removal of the bunion prominence separately reported?
When removal of the medial prominence is part of the distal metatarsal osteotomy correction, it is included in 28296 rather than reported as a separate bunion procedure.
How is surgery on both feet reported?
CMS recognizes bilateral reporting of 28296 with modifier 50 and pays it at 150%. The operative report should document the distal metatarsal correction on each foot.
What postoperative visits are included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care for the bunion correction.
Can another surgeon participate in the operation?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; CMS does not permit team surgery for 28296.
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.
3,17228291,,Corrj halux rigdus w/implt,A,,7.81,11.54,,4.73,,0.72,20.07,13.26,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,17328292,,Cor hlx vlgs rsc prx phlx bs,A,,7.25,13.02,,5.74,,0.78,21.05,13.77,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,17428295,,Cor hlx vlgs prx mtar osteot,A,,8.36,22.31,,7.27,,1.22,31.89,16.85,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,17528296,,Cor hlx vlgs dstl mtar osteo,A,,8.04,17.59,,5.64,,0.82,26.45,14.50,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,17628297,,Cor hlx vlgs jt arthrd,A,,9.06,20.68,,6.64,,1.12,30.86,16.82,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,17728298,,Cor hlx vlgs prx phlx osteot,A,,7.56,17.21,,5.92,,0.99,25.76,14.47,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,17828299,,Cor hlx vlgs double osteot,A,,9.06,20.84,,6.68,,1.13,31.03,16.87,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9214412,RI,01,RHODE ISLAND,1.019,1.033,0.892
9311202,SC,01,SOUTH CAROLINA,1.000,0.924,0.850
9403402,SD,02,SOUTH DAKOTA**,1.000,1.000,0.336
9510312,TN,35,TENNESSEE,1.000,0.909,0.537
9604412,TX,31,AUSTIN,1.002,1.058,0.886
9704412,TX,20,BEAUMONT,1.000,0.910,0.929
9804412,TX,09,BRAZORIA,1.008,0.991,0.780