Summary & Overview
CPT 27360: Partial Excision of Femur, Proximal Tibia, or Fibula
CPT code 27360 represents a partial excision of the femur, proximal tibia, or fibula to remove disease or infection. This orthopedic surgical code is used when focal bone resection is required to treat osteomyelitis, localized bone tumors, or severe focal degenerative changes that necessitate partial bone removal. Nationally, the code matters because it captures high-acuity surgical management of serious lower-extremity conditions that affect inpatient and outpatient surgical billing and resource allocation.
Key payers discussed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find clinical context for when the procedure is reported, typical sites of service, and the payer landscape relevant to coverage and claims processing. The publication provides benchmarks for utilization and reimbursement patterns, notes common documentation elements and coding considerations tied to the procedure description, and summarizes recent policy updates that influence prior authorization and coverage criteria. Where specific payer policy details are not available in the input, the summary states that data is not available in the input.
This analysis is intended for billing specialists, hospital coding teams, and policy analysts seeking a concise reference on the clinical and administrative significance of CPT code 27360 at a national level.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 27360 describes a surgical procedure in which the provider performs a partial excision of the femur, proximal tibia, or fibula, or a combination of these bones, to remove diseased or infected tissue. This procedure is a form of orthopedic bone resection intended to eradicate focal disease processes affecting the proximal lower extremity long bones.
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Service type: Surgical orthopedic procedure
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Typical site of service: Hospital inpatient or outpatient surgical center, depending on clinical complexity and patient condition
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is a 62-year-old with chronic osteomyelitis of the proximal tibia after failed conservative care and multiple prior debridements. The patient presents with persistent pain, draining sinus, and imaging showing sequestrum and cortical destruction. The orthopedic surgical team evaluates the limb in the preoperative clinic, confirms the indication for partial bone excision to remove infected and necrotic bone, and obtains informed consent. Preoperative steps include optimization of medical comorbidities, targeted preoperative antibiotics guided by culture, and baseline laboratory and imaging studies (plain radiographs and CT or MRI as needed). In the operating room under general or regional anesthesia, the surgeon makes a limb-appropriate incision, performs soft tissue debridement, isolates and excises the infected portion of the proximal tibia (partial tibial resection), controls bleeding, irrigates, and may place a local antibiotic carrier or spacer. Specimens are sent for culture and pathology. Postoperative care includes wound management, continued culture-directed antibiotics, and planned outpatient or inpatient physical therapy. Typical sites of service are inpatient hospital operating room or ambulatory surgery center depending on complexity and patient comorbidity. Service type: surgical orthopedic procedure for partial excision of long-bone (femur, proximal tibia, or fibula) to remove diseased or infected bone.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
50 | Bilateral procedure |