Orthopedic Surgery
What they do most for Medicare patients
| Service, sort | Times billed, sort |
|---|---|
| Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 20-29 minutes | 2,699,538 |
| Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 30-39 minutes | 1,870,381 |
| Aspiration and/or injection of fluid from large joint | 1,700,426 |
| X-ray of knee, 3 views | 639,757 |
| New patient office or other outpatient visit, 30-44 minutes | 613,905 |
| New patient office or other outpatient visit, 45-59 minutes | 605,311 |
| X-ray of shoulder, minimum of 2 views | 583,412 |
| X-ray of hip, 2-3 views | 531,089 |
| X-ray of knee, 4 or more views | 522,185 |
| Therapy procedure using exercise to develop strength, endurance, range of motion, and flexibility, each 15 minutes | 294,267 |
| Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 10-19 minutes | 279,222 |
| X-ray of knee, 1-2 views | 267,984 |
| X-ray of foot, minimum of 3 views | 263,637 |
| Replacement of knee joint, both sides of knee | 228,643 |
| Aspiration and/or injection of fluid large joint using ultrasound guidance | 222,423 |
| X-ray of ankle, minimum of 3 views | 185,358 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views | 149,673 |
| Replacement of thigh bone and hip joint with prosthesis | 122,055 |
| Therapy procedure using manual technique, each 15 minutes | 104,113 |
| Injection, bupivacaine liposome, 1 mg | 102,808 |
| Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 40-54 minutes | 99,988 |
| X-ray of wrist, minimum of 3 views | 88,383 |
| X-ray of hand, minimum of 3 views | 86,958 |
| Injection into tendon or ligament | 80,054 |
| Initial hospital care with straightforward or low-level medical decision making, if using time, at least 55 minutes | 77,557 |
| X-ray of pelvis, 1-2 views | 76,220 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, minimum of 4 views | 64,042 |
| Therapy procedure to re-educate brain-to-nerve-to-muscle function, each 15 minutes | 58,577 |
| Therapy procedure using functional activities | 55,954 |
| Initial hospital care with moderate level of medical decision making, if using time, at least 75 minutes | 55,343 |
| Computer-assisted surgery for muscle and bone procedure | 48,699 |
| Aspiration and/or injection of fluid from medium joint | 48,313 |
| Mri scan of leg joint without contrast | 47,742 |
| Aspiration and/or injection of fluid from small joint | 44,565 |
| Prosthetic repair of shoulder joint, total shoulder | 42,918 |
| X-ray of hip, 1 view | 38,549 |
| X-ray of both knees while standing | 38,062 |
| X-ray of upper spine, 2-3 views | 36,376 |
| Mri scan of lower spinal canal without contrast | 33,221 |
| X-ray of thigh bone, minimum 2 views | 31,895 |
| Treatment of broken neck of thigh bone with bone implant | 31,119 |
| Mri scan of arm joint without contrast | 30,536 |
| Physician or allowed practitioner certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians and | 29,001 |
| X-ray of finger, minimum of 2 views | 26,351 |
| New patient office or other outpatient visit, 60-74 minutes | 26,216 |
| Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement | 25,868 |
| Repair of shoulder rotator cuff using an endoscope | 24,261 |
| X-ray of ankle, 2 views | 24,009 |
| Shaving of part of shoulder bone and repair of ligament using an endoscope | 23,974 |
| Initial hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 40 minutes | 23,052 |
| Test or measurement for functional capacity, each 15 minutes | 22,576 |
| Insertion of cage or mesh device to spine bone and disc space during spine fusion | 22,146 |
| Fusion of additional segment of spine | 22,040 |
| Release and/or relocation of hand nerve | 21,057 |
| X-ray of wrist, 2 views | 20,591 |
| Injection of drug or substance under skin or into muscle | 20,518 |
| X-ray of elbow, minimum of 3 views | 20,299 |
| Electrical stimulation (unattended), to one or more areas for indication(s) other than wound care, as part of a therapy plan of care | 19,875 |
| X-ray of foot, 2 views | 19,803 |
| X-ray of upper spine, 4-5 views | 19,751 |
| Treatment of upper end of broken thigh bone with placement of stabilizing device or prosthetic replacement | 18,566 |
| X-ray of both hips, 3-4 views | 18,000 |
| Incision of tendon covering of finger | 17,750 |
| New patient office or other outpatient visit, 15-29 minutes | 16,670 |
| Therapy procedure in a group setting | 15,346 |
| X-ray of both hips, 2 views | 14,823 |
| Musculoskeletal surgical navigational orthopedic operation using imaging guidance | 14,610 |
| Injection of trigger points, 1-2 muscles | 14,540 |
| Partial removal of spine bone with release of spinal cord and/or nerves, each additional segment | 14,091 |
| X-ray for bone length assessment | 14,026 |
| X-ray of shoulder blade | 13,887 |
| Subsequent hospital care with moderate levelof medical decision making, if using time, at least 35 minutes | 13,412 |
| Partial removal of spine bone with release of lower spinal cord and/or nerves, 1 segment | 12,974 |
| X-ray of elbow, 2 views | 12,856 |
| Imaging guidance for procedure, 60 minutes or less | 12,618 |
| Removal of extensive shoulder joint tissue using an endoscope | 12,459 |
| Insertion of needle into vein for collection of blood sample | 12,132 |
| X-ray of hip, minimum of 4 views | 10,681 |
| Partial removal of collar bone at shoulder using an endoscope | 9,933 |
| Injection of anesthetic and/or steroid drug into sacral spine nerve root using imaging guidance, single level | 9,765 |
| Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement | 9,555 |
| Evaluation for physical therapy, typically 20 minutes | 9,250 |
| X-ray of joints, multiple | 8,904 |
| Cast supplies, short leg cast, adult (11 years +), fiberglass | 8,655 |
| Application of blood vessel compression device | 8,644 |
| X-ray of middle spine, 2 views | 8,469 |
| X-ray of shoulder, 1 view | 8,106 |
| Destruction of peripheral nerve or branch | 8,042 |
| Removal of skin and tissue, 20.0 sq cm or less | 7,994 |
| Mri scan of upper spinal canal without contrast | 7,920 |
| X-ray of hand, 2 views | 7,909 |
| Release of wrist ligament using an endoscope | 7,838 |
| Subsequent hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 25 minutes | 7,764 |
| Fusion of spine in lower back | 7,471 |
| X-ray of pelvis, minimum of 3 views | 7,278 |
| Complete ultrasound scan of joint | 7,209 |
| Injection into tendon at attachment to bone or muscle | 7,058 |
| Injection of carpal tunnel | 7,047 |
| Correction of toe joint deformity | 7,046 |
| Placement of stabilizing device to back, 3-6 spine bone segments | 6,994 |
Sources: Medicare Care Compare (hospitals and schools; Medicare-enrolled clinicians), CMS Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners 2023 (services), Medicare Part D Prescribers 2024 (drugs).