No office rate
Both are nearby thigh or knee decompression entries. Use the full CPT descriptors and operative details to identify the procedure performed; the short descriptors alone do not distinguish them.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
27497 Compartment decompression Medicare reimbursement rates in Virginia
Reports operative decompression of a thigh or knee compartment, typically for compartment syndrome requiring surgical release. Compare 27497 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Virginia.
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 27497 in Virginia?
Virginia 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
$531.73–$615.01
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 27497: Thigh or knee compartment decompression
Reports operative decompression of a thigh or knee compartment, typically for compartment syndrome requiring surgical release.
This code covers operative decompression of a compartment in the thigh or around the knee. It is most relevant when elevated compartment pressure requires surgical release, such as in an acute limb-threatening presentation after trauma or surgery. An orthopedic surgeon or another surgeon qualified to perform the procedure typically provides the service in a hospital operating room. The operative report should identify the treated site and describe the decompression performed.
Select this code from the documented procedure and the full CPT descriptor, distinguishing it from nearby decompression entries rather than relying on the CMS short descriptor alone. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons are permitted, while team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 27497
- 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 is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU7.60 · 46%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.30 · 44%
- Malpractice RVU1.62 · 10%
16
Medicare services in 2024 · #6029 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.
27497 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Virginia, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
This is another nearby decompression entry. Select between the codes by matching the documented site and operative work to each full descriptor.
No office rate
This code concerns decompression of lower-leg compartments. Use it when the operative site is the lower leg rather than the thigh or knee.
No office rate
Use the unlisted femur or knee procedure code only when no listed code accurately describes the documented service.
Compare 27497 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
Dc + Md/Va Suburbs →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$615.01
Virginia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$531.73
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27497 billing questions
When should this code be considered for a fasciotomy?
Consider it when the operative service is decompression of a thigh or knee compartment. Confirm the specific procedure against the full CPT descriptor and the operative report.
How do I distinguish this code from 27496 or 27498?
These are neighboring decompression entries. Compare the full descriptors with the operative report’s documented site and work; the shared CMS short descriptor does not provide enough detail to choose among them.
Does the 90-day global period include related postoperative care?
Yes. CMS includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care in this major-surgery global period.
How is bilateral reporting handled?
CMS pays bilateral reporting with modifier 50 at 150%. The documentation should support decompression on both sides.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeons are permitted; team surgery is not permitted.
How does CMS handle another procedure performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%.
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.
2,91627488,,Removal of knee prosthesis,A,,17.16,12.14,NA,12.14,,3.63,32.93,32.93,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,91727495,,Reinforce thigh,A,,16.13,11.45,NA,11.45,,3.43,31.01,31.01,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,91827496,,Decompression of thigh/knee,A,,6.61,7.89,NA,7.89,,1.40,15.90,15.90,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,91927497,,Decompression of thigh/knee,A,,7.60,7.30,NA,7.30,,1.62,16.52,16.52,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,92027498,,Decompression of thigh/knee,A,,8.44,8.48,NA,8.48,,1.79,18.71,18.71,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,92127499,,Decompression of thigh/knee,A,,9.19,8.72,NA,8.72,,1.96,19.87,19.87,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,2,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,92227500,,Treatment of thigh fracture,A,,6.14,9.75,,6.47,,1.31,17.20,13.92,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00