CPT 27871: Tibiotalocalcaneal (Ankle) Fusion

Medicare pays $660 on average nationally for this procedure.

CPT code 27871 describes a surgical ankle fusion procedure that permanently fuses the distal tibia and fibula to the talus (tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis) to relieve pain and disability; service type: surgical orthopedic fusion of the ankle joint; typical site of service: inpatient or outpatient hospital operating room or ambulatory surgery center for orthopedic foot and ankle surgery.

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 27871 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 27871 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Explore openpayer tools

View all tools

CPT 27871: Tibiotalocalcaneal (Ankle) Fusion

Medicare pays $660 on average nationally for this procedure.

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 27871 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 27871 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is a middle-aged to older adult with severe, end-stage ankle arthritis (post-traumatic, primary osteoarthritis, or inflammatory arthritis) or chronic, symptomatic ankle instability with arthritic change. The patient reports progressive ankle pain, deformity, and impaired ambulation despite conservative care (NSAIDs, bracing, activity modification, corticosteroid injections, and physical therapy). Imaging (weight-bearing radiographs, CT for tibiotalar alignment, or MRI for soft-tissue assessment) documents joint space loss, subchondral sclerosis, osteophytes, and/or talar tilt.

The clinical workflow begins with orthopedic or podiatric evaluation, nonoperative management attempts, and shared decision-making for operative intervention. Preoperative planning includes medical optimization, vascular and neurologic assessment, and templating for fixation or fusion technique. In the operating room, the surgeon performs ankle arthrodesis (tibiotalar fusion) with open or arthroscopic techniques, prepares joint surfaces, positions the hindfoot, and achieves fixation with plates, screws, or intramedullary devices. Postoperative care includes immobilization, protected weight-bearing per surgeon protocol, wound checks, pain management, and serial radiographs to document progression to union. Rehabilitation focuses on gait training and gradual return to activities after confirmed radiographic fusion.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`27870`	Arthrodesis, ankle, with or without internal or external fixation; tibio-talar and talocalcaneal (triple)	May be performed when adjacent joint fusion is required or planned in combination with isolated tibiotalar arthrodesis.
`28510`	Open treatment of calcaneal fracture; with or without internal fixation	Performed in cases of severe hindfoot trauma where calcaneal fixation or reconstruction is required in the same episode of care.
`27447`	Arthrodesis, knee, with or without prosthesis, includes application of external fixation	Listed as a major lower-extremity arthrodesis procedure that may represent concurrent lower-extremity arthrodesis in complex cases.
`20930`	Allograft, morselized, or placement of osteopromotive material, for spine or other non-autogenous bone grafting	Bone grafting codes may be reported when bone graft or bone graft substitute is used to facilitate fusion.

Related Modifiers

5 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
57	CPT® modifier -57 (“Decision for Surgery”) is appended to an Evaluation and Management (E/M) service when that encounter results in the initial decision to perform a major surgery (a procedure with a…	- Use modifier 57 when an E/M service provided by the same provider (or same tax ID) on the day of or the day before a major surgical procedure (90‑day global period) results in the initial decision…
99	Modifier 99 is a placeholder modifier used when more modifiers apply to a single procedure than the claim form or electronic field allows. The AMA classifies it under Provider Services and Ambulatory…	- Use CPT modifier -99 when more modifiers apply to a single procedure line than the claim form or payer field allows (CMS/Noridian: when more than four modifiers are needed); append modifier 99 on…
62	Modifier 62 indicates that two surgeons function as co‑surgeons, each performing distinct parts of the same primary surgical procedure. It is appended to the primary procedure code (and any…	- Use modifier -62 when two surgeons act as co‑surgeons (both primary surgeons) on a single definitive primary procedure, each performing distinct parts of the same surgical procedure (append -62 to…
58	Modifier 58 (Staged or related procedure/service by the same physician during the postoperative period) indicates that a subsequent procedure performed by the same provider during the…	- Use modifier 58 when the same physician/QHP performs a procedure during the postoperative/global period of an earlier procedure and the subsequent procedure is either planned or anticipated…
97	Modifier 97 is an informational modifier used with therapy CPT codes to indicate services are rehabilitative — intended to restore skills or function lost due to illness, injury, or disability. It is…	- Use modifier 97 when reporting therapy services that are rehabilitative in nature — i.e., provided to restore skills or function lost or impaired because of illness, injury, or disability (for…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207T00000X	Neurological Surgery Physician	A neurological surgeon provides the operative and non-operative management (i.e., prevention, diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, critical care, and reh…
213E00000X	Podiatrist	A podiatrist is a person qualified by a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.) degree, licensed by the state, and practicing within the scope of that l…
2080P0206X	Pediatric Gastroenterology Physician	A pediatrician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the digestive systems of infants, children and adolescents. This speciali…
176P00000X	Funeral Director	A person, usually an embalmer, whose business is to arrange for the burial or cremation of the dead and to assist at the funeral rites.
3336I0012X	Institutional Pharmacy	A pharmacy in a hospital (inpatient) or institution used by pharmacists for the compounding and delivery of medicinal preparations to be administered …
363L00000X	Nurse Practitioner	(1) A registered nurse provider with a graduate degree in nursing prepared for advanced practice involving independent and interdependent decision mak…
363LA2200X	Adult Health Nurse Practitioner	Physician Assistants & Advanced Practice Nursing Providers · Nurse Practitioner
2251E1300X	Clinical Electrophysiology Physical Therapist	A licensed physical therapist, including but not limited to an individual who is a Board Certified Specialist in Clinical Electrophysiologic Physical …

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

23 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
E11.620	Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic dermatitis
E11.621	Type 2 diabetes mellitus with foot ulcer
G57.61	Lesion of plantar nerve, right lower limb
G57.62	Lesion of plantar nerve, left lower limb
M16.11	Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, right hip
M16.12	Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, left hip
M17.11	Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, right knee
M17.12	Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, left knee
M19.071	Primary osteoarthritis, right ankle and foot
M19.072	Primary osteoarthritis, left ankle and foot

Showing 1–10 of 23

Related Payer Policy Updates

Specialty: Orthopedics/Musculoskeletal1 / 2

10 rows

Policy	Payer	Effective Date
Hip Arthroplasty (partial and total hip replacement)	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Shoulder Arthroplasty (Total, Partial, Reverse, Revision and Resurfacing)	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Artificial Lumbar Intervertebral Disc (Lumbar Total Disc Arthroplasty)	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Osteochondral Grafting of the Knee	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Lumbar Fusion (arthrodesis) with decompression	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Metal-on-Metal Total Hip Resurfacing	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Sacroiliac Joint Fusion or Stabilization	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI)	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Percutaneous Vertebroplasty/Mechanical Vertebral Augmentation and Percutaneous Sacroplasty	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Shoulder Open Procedures	Premera Bluecross	2026-09-04

Related Codes

CPT-27870-ANKLE-FUSION-ARTHRODESIS

CPT 27870: Ankle Arthrodesis for Severe Arthritis

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

Explore openpayer tools

View all tools

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`27870`	Arthrodesis, ankle, with or without internal or external fixation; tibio-talar and talocalcaneal (triple)	May be performed when adjacent joint fusion is required or planned in combination with isolated tibiotalar arthrodesis.
`28510`	Open treatment of calcaneal fracture; with or without internal fixation	Performed in cases of severe hindfoot trauma where calcaneal fixation or reconstruction is required in the same episode of care.
`27447`	Arthrodesis, knee, with or without prosthesis, includes application of external fixation	Listed as a major lower-extremity arthrodesis procedure that may represent concurrent lower-extremity arthrodesis in complex cases.
`20930`	Allograft, morselized, or placement of osteopromotive material, for spine or other non-autogenous bone grafting	Bone grafting codes may be reported when bone graft or bone graft substitute is used to facilitate fusion.

Related Modifiers

5 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
57	CPT® modifier -57 (“Decision for Surgery”) is appended to an Evaluation and Management (E/M) service when that encounter results in the initial decision to perform a major surgery (a procedure with a…	- Use modifier 57 when an E/M service provided by the same provider (or same tax ID) on the day of or the day before a major surgical procedure (90‑day global period) results in the initial decision…
99	Modifier 99 is a placeholder modifier used when more modifiers apply to a single procedure than the claim form or electronic field allows. The AMA classifies it under Provider Services and Ambulatory…	- Use CPT modifier -99 when more modifiers apply to a single procedure line than the claim form or payer field allows (CMS/Noridian: when more than four modifiers are needed); append modifier 99 on…
62	Modifier 62 indicates that two surgeons function as co‑surgeons, each performing distinct parts of the same primary surgical procedure. It is appended to the primary procedure code (and any…	- Use modifier -62 when two surgeons act as co‑surgeons (both primary surgeons) on a single definitive primary procedure, each performing distinct parts of the same surgical procedure (append -62 to…
58	Modifier 58 (Staged or related procedure/service by the same physician during the postoperative period) indicates that a subsequent procedure performed by the same provider during the…	- Use modifier 58 when the same physician/QHP performs a procedure during the postoperative/global period of an earlier procedure and the subsequent procedure is either planned or anticipated…
97	Modifier 97 is an informational modifier used with therapy CPT codes to indicate services are rehabilitative — intended to restore skills or function lost due to illness, injury, or disability. It is…	- Use modifier 97 when reporting therapy services that are rehabilitative in nature — i.e., provided to restore skills or function lost or impaired because of illness, injury, or disability (for…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207T00000X	Neurological Surgery Physician	A neurological surgeon provides the operative and non-operative management (i.e., prevention, diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, critical care, and reh…
213E00000X	Podiatrist	A podiatrist is a person qualified by a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.) degree, licensed by the state, and practicing within the scope of that l…
2080P0206X	Pediatric Gastroenterology Physician	A pediatrician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the digestive systems of infants, children and adolescents. This speciali…
176P00000X	Funeral Director	A person, usually an embalmer, whose business is to arrange for the burial or cremation of the dead and to assist at the funeral rites.
3336I0012X	Institutional Pharmacy	A pharmacy in a hospital (inpatient) or institution used by pharmacists for the compounding and delivery of medicinal preparations to be administered …
363L00000X	Nurse Practitioner	(1) A registered nurse provider with a graduate degree in nursing prepared for advanced practice involving independent and interdependent decision mak…
363LA2200X	Adult Health Nurse Practitioner	Physician Assistants & Advanced Practice Nursing Providers · Nurse Practitioner
2251E1300X	Clinical Electrophysiology Physical Therapist	A licensed physical therapist, including but not limited to an individual who is a Board Certified Specialist in Clinical Electrophysiologic Physical …

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

23 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
E11.620	Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic dermatitis
E11.621	Type 2 diabetes mellitus with foot ulcer
G57.61	Lesion of plantar nerve, right lower limb
G57.62	Lesion of plantar nerve, left lower limb
M16.11	Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, right hip
M16.12	Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, left hip
M17.11	Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, right knee
M17.12	Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, left knee
M19.071	Primary osteoarthritis, right ankle and foot
M19.072	Primary osteoarthritis, left ankle and foot

Showing 1–10 of 23

Related Payer Policy Updates

Specialty: Orthopedics/Musculoskeletal1 / 2

10 rows

Policy	Payer	Effective Date
Hip Arthroplasty (partial and total hip replacement)	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Shoulder Arthroplasty (Total, Partial, Reverse, Revision and Resurfacing)	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Artificial Lumbar Intervertebral Disc (Lumbar Total Disc Arthroplasty)	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Osteochondral Grafting of the Knee	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Lumbar Fusion (arthrodesis) with decompression	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Metal-on-Metal Total Hip Resurfacing	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Sacroiliac Joint Fusion or Stabilization	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI)	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Percutaneous Vertebroplasty/Mechanical Vertebral Augmentation and Percutaneous Sacroplasty	univerahealthcare	2026-10-15
Shoulder Open Procedures	Premera Bluecross	2026-09-04

Related Codes

CPT-27870-ANKLE-FUSION-ARTHRODESIS

CPT 27870: Ankle Arthrodesis for Severe Arthritis

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

CPT 27871: Tibiotalocalcaneal (Ankle) Fusion

Sign up for cpt 27871 policy alerts

CPT 27871: Tibiotalocalcaneal (Ankle) Fusion

Sign up for cpt 27871 policy alerts

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

Related Payer Policy Updates

Related Codes

What clinical indications are described for CPT 27871 (tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis)?

What nonoperative treatments should typically be attempted before considering this fusion procedure?

In what settings is CPT 27871 usually performed?

What intraoperative and postoperative care elements are described for this procedure?

Which related CPT codes might be relevant to cases involving additional fusion, grafting, or concurrent procedures?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related ICD-10-CM Codes

Related Payer Policy Updates

Related Codes

What clinical indications are described for CPT 27871 (tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis)?

What nonoperative treatments should typically be attempted before considering this fusion procedure?

In what settings is CPT 27871 usually performed?

What intraoperative and postoperative care elements are described for this procedure?

Which related CPT codes might be relevant to cases involving additional fusion, grafting, or concurrent procedures?

References