$237.27–$273.45
Choose 28002 for drainage in one deep foot area. Choose 28003 when the operative work addresses multiple deep areas.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
28003 Foot infection drainage Medicare reimbursement rates in Virginia
Surgical drainage of a deep infection involving multiple foot areas, with possible tendon-sheath involvement, is reported when operative work extends below fascia. Compare 28003 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 28003 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
$365.00–$417.39
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$224.80–$249.38
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.
Foot surgery
About 28003: Multiple-area deep foot infection drainage
Surgical drainage of a deep infection involving multiple foot areas, with possible tendon-sheath involvement, is reported when operative work extends below fascia.
This service involves surgically opening and draining a deep foot infection in multiple areas below the fascia; tendon-sheath involvement may be present. An orthopedic foot-and-ankle surgeon or podiatric surgeon may perform it for a deep abscess, including a diabetic foot infection extending through more than one deep area. The procedure is commonly performed in an operating room or ambulatory surgery setting and differs from drainage confined to a bursa or a single deep area.
Report 28003 when the operative record supports drainage in multiple deep areas. Document the involved sites, extent of infection, and drainage performed. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 28003
- Global period
- Minor procedure with a 0-day global period: same-day preoperative and postoperative care is 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 adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU5.15 · 46%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.49 · 49%
- Malpractice RVU0.54 · 5%
4.6K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1932 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.
28003 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Virginia, from the same CMS release.
$163.94–$188.66
28001 describes drainage directed at a foot bursa. 28003 is for infection drained in multiple areas below the fascia.
No office rate
28005 involves incision into foot bone cortex. 28003 addresses deep soft-tissue infection drainage across multiple areas.
Compare 28003 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
$417.39
Facility
$249.38
Virginia →
Office / nonfacility
$365.00
Facility
$224.80
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28003 billing questions
How does 28003 differ from 28002?
28003 is for drainage involving multiple deep areas of the foot. Use 28002 when the documented drainage is limited to one deep area.
What should the operative report document?
Identify the deep infection sites and describe drainage performed in multiple areas below the fascia. Document any tendon-sheath involvement when present.
Can modifier 50 be used for both feet?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 should not be used.
Is same-day postoperative care included?
Yes. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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.
3,08627899,,Unlisted px leg/ankle,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,YYY,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,08728001,,Drainage of bursa of foot,A,,1.95,2.88,,0.47,,0.18,5.01,2.60,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,08828002,,Treatment of foot infection,A,,2.72,4.28,,0.84,,0.25,7.25,3.81,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,08928003,,Treatment of foot infection,A,,5.15,5.49,,1.22,,0.54,11.18,6.91,0,000,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09028005,,Treat foot bone lesion,A,,9.20,5.85,NA,5.85,,0.96,16.01,16.01,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09128008,,Incision of foot fascia,A,,4.48,7.73,,3.36,,0.43,12.64,8.27,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,09228010,,Incision of toe tendon,A,,2.90,3.89,,2.77,,0.26,7.05,5.93,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00