$533.47–$598.04
Both codes report foot-joint synovectomy, but 28070 is for a tarsal joint; 28072 is for a metatarsophalangeal joint.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
28072 Joint synovectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Washington
Reports surgical removal of abnormal synovial tissue from a foot metatarsophalangeal joint, such as for persistent inflammatory synovitis causing pain or swelling. Compare 28072 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 28072 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
$517.46–$581.66
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
Facility setting
$317.34–$348.46
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 28072: Metatarsophalangeal joint synovectomy
Reports surgical removal of abnormal synovial tissue from a foot metatarsophalangeal joint, such as for persistent inflammatory synovitis causing pain or swelling.
This service removes abnormal synovial tissue from a metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint in the foot. An orthopedic foot-and-ankle surgeon or podiatric surgeon typically performs it in an operating room, opening the joint to address persistent, symptomatic synovial inflammation or proliferation. The operative focus is the joint lining, not a toe tendon sheath or a diagnostic tissue sample alone.
Report the code when the surgeon performs therapeutic synovial tissue removal at an MTP joint. The operative report should identify the joint, describe the synovial findings and removal, and support why treatment went beyond biopsy. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment is barred, and co-surgeon and team-surgery reporting are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 28072
- 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 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 RVU4.60 · 31%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.89 · 66%
- Malpractice RVU0.55 · 4%
416
Medicare services in 2024 · #3706 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.
28072 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Washington, from the same CMS release.
$392.60–$439.41
Use 28052 for biopsy at a metatarsophalangeal joint when tissue is sampled for diagnosis. Use 28072 when abnormal synovial tissue is therapeutically removed.
$556.32–$625.82
Code 28086 concerns excision of a foot tendon sheath. Code 28072 concerns synovial tissue within a metatarsophalangeal joint.
Compare 28072 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
$517.46
Facility
$317.34
Seattle (King Cnty) →
Office / nonfacility
$581.66
Facility
$348.46
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28072 billing questions
How does this differ from 28070?
Code 28072 is for synovectomy at a foot metatarsophalangeal joint. Code 28070 is for synovectomy at a tarsal joint.
When would 28052 be more appropriate?
Use the applicable joint-biopsy code when the surgeon opens the joint to obtain a diagnostic sample rather than therapeutically removing abnormal synovial tissue.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral MTP synovectomy?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so do not use modifier 50 for a bilateral adjustment.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
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 for this service?
CMS bars assistant-at-surgery payment for this code and does not permit co-surgeon or team-surgery reporting.
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.
3,10828060,,Partial removal foot fascia,A,,5.27,9.84,,4.41,,0.61,15.72,10.29,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,10928062,,Removal of foot fascia,A,,6.52,10.40,,4.32,,0.66,17.58,11.50,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,11028070,,Removal of foot joint lining,A,,5.11,9.84,,4.14,,0.57,15.52,9.82,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,11128072,,Removal of foot joint lining,A,,4.60,9.89,,4.20,,0.55,15.04,9.35,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,11228080,,Removal of foot lesion,A,,4.74,11.10,,5.78,,0.55,16.39,11.07,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,11328086,,Excise foot tendon sheath,A,,4.80,10.73,,4.60,,0.65,16.18,10.05,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3,11428088,,Excise foot tendon sheath,A,,3.88,10.04,,4.16,,0.50,14.42,8.54,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00