Billing code 27550: Knee dislocationMedicare rate & RVUs in Utah

Reports closed treatment of a tibiofemoral knee dislocation when reduction is performed without anesthesia, rather than through an open procedure.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 20261 payment locality243 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $590.97 for 27550 in the office in Utah (Utah). Which amount applies depends on the service address.

$590.97Office (non-facility)
$501.49Hospital or facility

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

We’ll open 27550 for the payment locality that covers the ZIP.

On this page 9 sections
  1. Rate in Utah
  2. What 27550 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. How it’s calculated
  5. Payment rules
  6. Similar codes
  7. Related codes
  8. Billing questions
  9. Sources

What 27550 covers

Code 27550 describes closed treatment of a tibiofemoral knee dislocation performed without anesthesia. The clinician restores the displaced joint without surgically exposing it; this may occur during emergency or orthopedic care. The record should establish the knee dislocation and document the closed treatment performed and that anesthesia was not used. A patellar dislocation is a different injury and is not the condition represented by this code.

This is a major surgery code with 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% reduction. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

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.

27550 in Utah

27550 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Utah$590.97$501.49

How the 27550 rate is calculated

Each of 27550’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

How the rate is built · 27550

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work5.83

5.83 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense11.35

11.35 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.33

1.33 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

18.5100

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$618.25

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 27550

27550 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 27550

Knee dislocation

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.69/0.21Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 27550

Knee dislocation

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

27550 without 50 · national office

$618.25

Knee dislocation

27550-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$927.38

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

27550 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

  • 27550

    Knee dislocation5.83 wRVU

    $618.25

  • 27552

    Knee reduction7.98 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 27556

    Knee dislocation12.68 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 27560

    Patellar dislocation3.89 wRVU

    $466.61−$151.64

  • 27530

    Fracture treatment2.58 wRVU

    $349.04−$269.21

How to choose

27552Knee reduction
Choose 27550 for closed treatment without anesthesia. Code 27552 represents the related treatment requiring anesthesia and manipulation.
27556Knee dislocation
27550 is closed treatment. Use an open-treatment code when the dislocation is treated through surgical exposure.
27560Patellar dislocation
27550 concerns tibiofemoral knee dislocation; 27560 belongs to the patellar-dislocation family.
27530Fracture treatment
27550 treats a knee dislocation, while 27530 is for treatment of a knee fracture.

27550 billing questions

How does 27550 differ from 27552?

Both describe closed treatment of a knee dislocation. Use 27550 when treatment is performed without anesthesia; 27552 is the related code for treatment requiring anesthesia and manipulation.

Can 27550 be reported for an open reduction?

No. It describes closed treatment. Open treatment is represented by a different knee-dislocation code, such as 27556 or 27557.

Does the 90-day global include follow-up care?

The CMS global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

How is bilateral treatment reported?

Report modifier 50 for bilateral treatment; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when medical necessity is documented. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.

Is 27550 appropriate for a kneecap dislocation?

No. Code 27550 concerns a tibiofemoral knee dislocation. Patellar dislocation treatment is represented by a separate code family, including 27560, 27562, and 27566.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 27550PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,945 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for UtahGPCI2026.csv, line 104 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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