Orthopedic surgery · Virginia

Orthopedic surgery commercial reimbursement in Virginia

How Virginia orthopedic surgery rates compare with the national market.

Orthopedic surgery in Virginia

39 codes · 105 sampled providers
Index vs national
94
6% below
Rank among states
33 of 51
1 = highest
Codes above national
3 of 39
median code at 94%
Providers
105
sampled

What the data shows

1

Orthopedic surgery ranks 33rd of 51 states in Virginia with an index of 94 (100 = the specialty's national median), across 39 codes and 105 sampled providers.

2

Of the 39 orthopedic surgery codes with enough data in Virginia, 3 pay above the national median and 36 below; the typical code sits at 94% of the national median.

3

Largest premium over the national median: CPT 73221 (Mri joint upr extrem w/o dye) at 125%; largest discount: CPT 26055 (Incise finger tendon sheath) at 85%.

4

Measured against Medicare, Virginia orthopedic surgery rates have a median of 135% of the Medicare rate across these codes.

Codes above and below the national median

The five largest gaps in each direction

Highest vs national

CodeVirginiaNationalGapProv.
73221
Mri joint upr extrem w/o dye
$484$387+25%103
73721
Mri jnt of lwr extre w/o dye
$482$387+25%103
72148
Mri lumbar spine w/o dye
$458$370+24%103
99215
Office o/p est hi 40 min
$185$185-0%105
99205
Office o/p new hi 60 min
$251$252-0%105

Lowest vs national

CodeVirginiaNationalGapProv.
26055
Incise finger tendon sheath
$523$614-15%105
93000
Electrocardiogram complete
$22$25-14%104
20611
Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us
$101$117-13%105
20550
Njx 1 tendon sheath/ligament
$64$74-13%104
20610
Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us
$76$85-11%105

All orthopedic surgery codes in Virginia

Median across payers vs the specialty's national median and the Medicare rate; sorted by premium
CodeVirginiaNationalGap% of MedicareProvidersTINsLevel
CPT 73221
Mri joint upr extrem w/o dye
$484$387+25%236%103152
CPT 73721
Mri jnt of lwr extre w/o dye
$482$387+25%236%103152
CPT 72148
Mri lumbar spine w/o dye
$458$370+24%239%103152
CPT 99215
Office o/p est hi 40 min
$185$185-0%96%105165
CPT 99205
Office o/p new hi 60 min
$251$252-0%106%105164
CPT 97110
Therapeutic exercises
$31$31-1%107%105163
CPT 99214
Office o/p est mod 30 min
$129$132-2%95%105164
CPT 99212
Office o/p est sf 10 min
$50$51-3%84%105165
CPT 99204
Office o/p new mod 45 min
$187$194-3%106%105165
CPT 99213
Office o/p est low 20 min
$87$91-4%92%105165
CPT 99203
Office o/p new low 30 min
$116$123-5%99%105165
CPT 27130
Total hip arthroplasty
$2,029$2,158-6%175%105164
CPT 23472
Reconstruct shoulder joint
$2,179$2,318-6%168%105165
CPT 73560
X-ray exam of knee 1 or 2
$42$45-6%122%103150
CPT 27447
Total knee arthroplasty
$2,056$2,190-6%177%105165
CPT 27245
Treat thigh fracture
$1,868$1,994-6%167%105163
CPT 72110
X-ray exam l-2 spine 4/>vws
$66$71-6%124%104158
CPT 73502
X-ray exam hip uni 2-3 views
$56$60-6%115%104157
CPT 22551
Arthrd ant ntrbdy cervical
$2,598$2,778-6%162%105163
CPT 73630
X-ray exam of foot
$42$44-6%122%103150
CPT 27487
Revise/replace knee joint
$2,650$2,840-7%168%105164
CPT 29848
Wrist endoscopy/surgery
$762$817-7%157%105164
CPT 22633
Arthrd cmbn 1ntrspc lumbar
$2,785$2,991-7%164%105163
CPT 64721
Carpal tunnel surgery
$652$700-7%135%105165
CPT 29827
Sho arthrs srg rt8tr cuf rpr
$1,581$1,701-7%162%105164
CPT 73610
X-ray exam of ankle
$43$47-8%117%104158
CPT 73562
X-ray exam of knee 3
$49$53-8%115%104158
CPT 27236
Treat thigh fracture
$1,765$1,918-8%162%105161
CPT 73564
X-ray exam knee 4 or more
$55$60-8%111%104158
CPT 22612
Arthrd pst tq 1ntrspc lumbar
$2,341$2,557-8%159%105164
CPT 73030
X-ray exam of shoulder
$41$45-9%115%103153
CPT 72100
X-ray exam l-s spine 2/3 vws
$48$53-9%120%104155
CPT 22558
Arthrd ant ntrbd min dsc lum
$2,245$2,471-9%158%105164
CPT 63047
Lam facetec & foramot lumbar
$1,594$1,796-11%150%105165
CPT 20610
Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us
$76$85-11%110%105165
CPT 20550
Njx 1 tendon sheath/ligament
$64$74-13%106%104163
CPT 20611
Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us
$101$117-13%201%105163
CPT 93000
Electrocardiogram complete
$22$25-14%142%104160
CPT 26055
Incise finger tendon sheath
$523$614-15%182%105165

Frequently asked questions

How do Virginia orthopedic surgery rates compare with the rest of the country?

Virginia ranks 33rd of 51 states with an index of 94; 3 of 39 codes are above the national median.

Which orthopedic surgery code has the biggest premium in Virginia?

CPT 73221 (Mri joint upr extrem w/o dye), at 125% of the national median.

Are these Medicare or commercial rates?

Commercial in-network negotiated rates from four national payers' published files; the Medicare comparison column uses the CY2026 Medicare physician fee schedule.

Methodology

How these numbers are calculated
  • Source: in-network negotiated-rate files published under the federal Transparency in Coverage rule, August 2026 snapshot: UnitedHealthcare Choice plans (74 files); Aetna commercial plans (70 files); Cigna national PPO (1 files); BCBS licensees' own-network files (5,387 files). Payer comparisons describe these files, not each payer's entire book of business.
  • Sample: rates come from a random sample of up to 150 providers per state and specialty. Counts on this page are sampled providers and TINs, not totals.
  • Which providers count: only providers in a specialty relevant to the code, because a rate in a payer file attaches to a provider group and is listed under every provider in that group.
  • Filters: fee-for-service, professional billing class, no modifier, negotiated or fee-schedule dollar rates. Rates outside 1% to 1,000% of the Medicare rate are excluded.
  • Statistic: one median rate per provider, then percentiles across providers. A cell is shown only with at least 15 sampled providers and 4 TINs.
  • Medicare benchmark: CY2026 national physician fee schedule, non-QPP conversion factor, unadjusted for locality. Where the non-facility rate is more than twice the facility rate (office rates that include device or supply cost), the facility rate is used so comparisons are like for like.

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