No office rate
Choose 24343 when the surgeon repairs the lateral ligament using local tissue. Choose 24344 when the surgeon performs a tendon-graft reconstruction.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
24344 Elbow ligament surgery Medicare reimbursement rates in Washington
Reports tendon-graft reconstruction of the elbow’s lateral ligament when instability requires reconstruction rather than repair of existing tissue. Compare 24344 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Washington.
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 24344 in Washington?
Washington 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
$1034.40–$1133.37
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 24344: Elbow lateral ligament reconstruction
Reports tendon-graft reconstruction of the elbow’s lateral ligament when instability requires reconstruction rather than repair of existing tissue.
An orthopedic or upper-extremity surgeon reconstructs the elbow’s lateral ligament using a tendon graft to restore stability. This is used for ligament insufficiency, including chronic instability such as posterolateral rotatory instability, when the existing tissue is not suitable for direct repair. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room, often in a facility setting.
Report 24344 for the graft-based reconstruction, not a repair using local tissue. The operative report should identify the lateral ligament problem, the instability being treated, and the reconstruction performed with a tendon graft. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid; co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 24344
- 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 RVU14.83 · 48%
- Practice expense (office) RVU12.86 · 42%
- Malpractice RVU3.16 · 10%
73
Medicare services in 2024 · #5115 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.
24344 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Washington, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
This code addresses repair of the medial elbow ligament using tissue; 24344 is for tendon-graft reconstruction of the lateral ligament.
No office rate
24346 is tendon-graft reconstruction of the medial elbow ligament. Use 24344 for reconstruction of the lateral ligament.
Compare 24344 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
Rest Of Washington →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1034.40
Seattle (King Cnty) →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$1133.37
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24344 billing questions
How is 24344 different from 24343?
24344 is for reconstruction of the lateral ligament with a tendon graft. 24343 describes repair of the lateral ligament using local tissue.
What documentation supports reporting 24344?
Document the lateral ligament deficiency and instability, why reconstruction is performed, and the tendon-graft reconstruction technique. The operative note should distinguish reconstruction from repair of existing tissue.
Is related postoperative care separately reported during the global period?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How does Medicare handle 24344 when other procedures are 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%.
Can 24344 be reported bilaterally?
For bilateral reporting with modifier 50, CMS pays 150%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation; team surgery is 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.
2,30124341,,Rpr tdn/musc upr a/e each,A,,9.25,10.12,NA,10.12,,1.83,21.20,21.20,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,30224342,,Repair of ruptured tendon,A,,10.59,8.74,NA,8.74,,2.11,21.44,21.44,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,30324343,,Repr elbow lat ligmnt w/tiss,A,,8.93,9.55,NA,9.55,,1.78,20.26,20.26,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,30424344,,Reconstruct elbow lat ligmnt,A,,14.83,12.86,NA,12.86,,3.16,30.85,30.85,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,30524345,,Repr elbw med ligmnt w/tissu,A,,8.93,9.45,NA,9.45,,1.82,20.20,20.20,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,30624346,,Reconstruct elbow med ligmnt,A,,14.83,12.86,NA,12.86,,3.16,30.85,30.85,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,30724357,,Repair elbow perc,A,,5.30,5.59,NA,5.59,,0.62,11.51,11.51,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00