Billing code 27356: Bone lesion surgeryMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Reports curettage or excision of a benign femoral bone lesion when the resulting cavity is filled with autologous bone graft.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 27356 in Washington.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 27356 covers
An orthopedic surgeon uses this service to remove or curette a benign bone cyst or tumor in the femur and fill the resulting defect with the patient’s own bone graft. The work is typically performed in an operating room when the lesion requires operative treatment; graft procurement is included in this code. The operative report should identify the femoral lesion, describe its removal or curettage, and document placement of autograft.
Select this code when autograft is used, rather than the related code for treatment without graft, allograft, or internal fixation. It has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one 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 payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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.
Where 27356 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | Unavailable | $700.14 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | Unavailable | $768.11 |
How the 27356 rate is calculated
Each of 27356’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 · 27356
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 9.84Practice expense 8.93Malpractice 2.09
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 27356
27356 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 27356
Bone lesion surgery
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 27356
Bone lesion surgery
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
27356 without 50 · national facility
$696.74
Bone lesion surgery
27356-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$1,045.11
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).
27356 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
27356 vs 27355 vs 27357 vs 27358: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 27355Femur lesion removal
- Choose 27355 when the lesion is treated without graft; 27356 includes filling the defect with autograft.
- 27357Femur lesion removal
- Choose 27357 for allograft. Code 27356 is the corresponding grafted treatment using the patient’s own bone.
- 27358Femur lesion
- Choose 27358 when internal fixation is part of the femoral lesion treatment; 27356 identifies treatment with autograft.
27356 billing questions
How does this differ from 27355?
Use 27356 when the femoral lesion is curetted or excised and the defect is filled with autograft. Code 27355 describes the corresponding treatment without graft.
Does this code include harvesting the bone graft?
Yes. The autograft procurement is included; do not separately report the graft-harvesting work.
When is 27357 a better choice?
Use 27357 when the graft placed in the defect is allograft rather than the patient’s own bone.
How should bilateral femoral lesions be reported?
Report bilateral treatment with modifier 50. CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires 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 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
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