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 RVU | Practice expense RVU | Malpractice RVU | Total | Medicare rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-facility (office) | 7.66 | 403.30 | 0.85 | 411.81 | $13,754.82 |
| Facility (hospital, ASC) | 7.66 | 4.64 | 0.85 | 13.15 | $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.
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 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
0709T | Id ca immntx each addl njx | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
11010 | Debride skin at fx site | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
11011 | Debride skin musc at fx site | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
11012 | Deb skin bone at fx site | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
20650 | Insert and remove bone pin | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
20690 | Appl unipln uni ext fixj sys | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
20692 | Appl mltpln uni ext fixj sys | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
20696 | App mltpln uni xtrnl fix 1st | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
20900 | Removal of bone for graft | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
20902 | Removal of bone for graft | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
22848 | Insert pelv fixation device | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
27218 | Treat pelvic ring fracture | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
36591 | Draw blood off venous device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
36592 | Collect blood from picc | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
64451 | Njx aa&/strd nrv nrvtg si jt | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
64454 | Njx aa&/strd gnclr nrv brnch | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
69990 | Microsurgery add-on | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
76000 | Fluoroscopy <1 hr phys/qhp | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
76380 | Cat scan follow-up study | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
76942 | Echo guide for biopsy | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
76998 | Us guide intraop | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
77002 | Needle localization by xray | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
77003 | Fluoroguide for spine inject | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
77012 | Ct scan for needle biopsy | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
77021 | Mri guidance ndl plmt rs&i | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
93355 | Echo transesophageal (tee) | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
96523 | Irrig drug delivery device | 0 - no modifier bypass | Check pair |
99304 | 1st nf care sf/low mdm 25 | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
99305 | 1st nf care moderate mdm 35 | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check pair |
99306 | 1st nf care high mdm 50 | 1 - modifier may bypass | Check 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 code | Short description | Modifier indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|
27279 | Arthrd si jt plmt tartclr dv | 1 | Check pair |
27280 | Arthr si jt opn b1grf instrm | 1 | Check 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.