Billing code 24006: Elbow releaseMedicare rate & RVUs in Wyoming
Reports open elbow-joint surgery that removes or releases contracted capsule, commonly to address stiffness and restricted motion.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 24006 in Wyoming.
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 24006 covers
The surgeon opens the elbow joint and excises or releases contracted joint capsule to improve restricted motion, such as in an elbow contracture. An orthopedic surgeon typically performs this operation in an operating room. The service is distinct from opening the joint for exploration, drainage, or foreign-body removal, and from closed manipulation without an open capsular release.
Select the code when the operative report documents an elbow arthrotomy with capsular excision or release; a diagnosis of stiffness alone does not describe the work performed. The capsular work is part of this service, rather than a separate report of the same release. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons are permitted; 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.
24006 in Wyoming**
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming** | Unavailable | $647.58 |
How the 24006 rate is calculated
Each of 24006’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 · 24006
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work9.50
9.50 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense8.46
8.46 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.93
1.93 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
19.8900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$664.34
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 24006
24006 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 24006
Elbow release
| 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) | 2 | Permitted. |
| 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 · 24006
Elbow release
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
24006 without 50 · national facility
$664.34
Elbow release
24006-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$996.51
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).
24006 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 24000Elbow arthrotomy
- Choose 24006 when the operation includes elbow capsular excision or release. Choose 24000 when the arthrotomy is for exploration, drainage, or foreign-body removal.
- 24102Elbow synovectomy
- Code 24102 is for elbow arthrotomy with synovectomy. Code 24006 addresses capsular excision or release, commonly for contracture.
- 24300Elbow manipulation
- Code 24300 describes manipulation of the elbow under anesthesia. Code 24006 requires an open arthrotomy with capsular work.
24006 billing questions
How is this different from code 24000?
Use 24006 for an open elbow capsular excision or release, commonly addressing contracture. Code 24000 describes elbow arthrotomy for exploration, drainage, or foreign-body removal.
Is the capsular release separately reportable?
The excision or release of the capsule is included in 24006. The operative report should establish that this work was performed, rather than documenting only an elbow arthrotomy.
Can modifier 50 be used for both elbows?
CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; when both elbows are treated, bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
How does 24006 differ from manipulation under anesthesia?
Code 24006 involves an open arthrotomy with capsular excision or release. Code 24300 describes elbow manipulation under anesthesia, not an open capsular release.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
May an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS permits assistant-at-surgery payment and co-surgeons for this code. 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
Fee sheets
Put 24006 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →