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27278 Arthrd si jt plmt iartic dev

What 27278 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Arthrd si jt plmt iartic dev.

Full CPT long descriptions are licensed by the American Medical Association and are not published on this site; the short descriptor above is the one CMS prints in its own fee schedule file. See About CPT.

Medicare payment for 27278 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)7.66403.300.85411.81$13,754.82
Facility (hospital, ASC)7.664.640.8513.15$439.22

National rates: total RVUs x the CY2026 conversion factor of 33.4009 (non-QP), before geographic adjustment. Actual Medicare payment is 80% of the rate shown after the deductible; the patient or secondary payer owes the 20% coinsurance.


Status: Active - payable under the Physician Fee Schedule. Global period: 90-day global period.

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Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)

Medicare caps 27278 at 1 unit per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 3 - date of service edit (clinical): units above the MUE may pay with documentation on appeal), rationale: Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.

Billed with 27278? These codes are bundled into it

27278 is a Column 1 code in 44 active NCCI PTP edits. When one of these Column 2 codes is reported on the same date of service, it is denied as bundled - unless the edit's modifier indicator is 1 and documentation supports a distinct service with an NCCI-associated modifier.

Column 2 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
0709TId ca immntx each addl njx1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11010Debride skin at fx site1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11011Debride skin musc at fx site1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11012Deb skin bone at fx site1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
20650Insert and remove bone pin1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
20690Appl unipln uni ext fixj sys1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
20692Appl mltpln uni ext fixj sys1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
20696App mltpln uni xtrnl fix 1st1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
20900Removal of bone for graft1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
20902Removal of bone for graft1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
22848Insert pelv fixation device1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
27218Treat pelvic ring fracture1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
36591Draw blood off venous device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
36592Collect blood from picc0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
64451Njx aa&/strd nrv nrvtg si jt1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
64454Njx aa&/strd gnclr nrv brnch1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
69990Microsurgery add-on0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
76000Fluoroscopy <1 hr phys/qhp1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
76380Cat scan follow-up study1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
76942Echo guide for biopsy1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
76998Us guide intraop1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77002Needle localization by xray1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77003Fluoroguide for spine inject1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77012Ct scan for needle biopsy1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
77021Mri guidance ndl plmt rs&i1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
93355Echo transesophageal (tee)1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
96523Irrig drug delivery device0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
993041st nf care sf/low mdm 251 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
993051st nf care moderate mdm 351 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
993061st nf care high mdm 501 - modifier may bypassCheck pair

Showing 30 of 44 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.

27278 is bundled into these codes

27278 appears as a Column 2 code in 2 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 27278 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
27279Arthrd si jt plmt tartclr dv1Check pair
27280Arthr si jt opn b1grf instrm1Check pair

Data: CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule RVU file (October release, RVU26D) and Medicare NCCI PTP practitioner edits v32.3 (2026 Q4). Verify against the official files before billing or contracting decisions.