National Medicare amounts (payment-area and wage adjustments at 1.0). Facility: OPPS Addendum B, July 2026 (national unadjusted rate); local = rate × (0.6 × wage index + 0.4); ASC Addendum AA, July 2026 (national rate); local = rate × (0.5 × wage index + 0.5); device-intensive (J8) codes keep the device portion unadjusted; FY 2026 IPPS final rule CMS-1833-F, Table 5; standard amounts from Tables 1A-1E; local = weight × (labor × wage index + non-labor + capital × wage index^0.6848). Leaves out teaching (IME), safety-net (DSH) and outlier add-ons. Surgeon: CMS Physician Fee Schedule CY2026 (RVU26D). Anesthesia: CMS base units × the CY2026 anesthesia conversion factor, with an assumed case time. An educational estimate, not a quote.
Line by line (surgery center)
Surgery center facility fee: $3,696. Billed by The surgery center. CMS ASC Addendum AA, July 2026: national rate $3,695.53
Surgeon, CPT 29827: $976. Billed by The surgeon's group. CMS Physician Fee Schedule CY2026 (RVU26D, Oct 2026 release), facility rate, PFS locality national (GPCI 1.0)
Assistant surgeon (modifier 80): $156. Billed by The assistant surgeon. Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Ch. 12, §20.4.3: assistant-at-surgery (modifiers 80/81/82) = 16% of the surgeon's fee schedule amount; a PA, NP or CNS assisting (modifier AS) = 85% of that, 13.6%. Indicator from the RVU26D ASST SURG column (0 = only with documented medical necessity, 1 = not paid, 2 = paid).
Anesthesia, ASA code 01630: $266. Billed by The anesthesia group. CMS anesthesia base units (CY2022 file, unchanged for CY2026) + CY2026 anesthesia conversion factor $20.49754 for the nation (ANES2026, RVU26D). Code mapping is ours, from the ASA code descriptors.
Consultation visit (new patient): $177. Billed by The surgeon's group. CMS PFS CY2026 (RVU26D), non-facility (office) rate, CPT 99204
X-rays before surgery: $36. Billed by Office or imaging center. CMS PFS CY2026 (RVU26D), non-facility (office) rate, CPT 73030
Follow-up X-ray: $36. Billed by Office or imaging center. CMS PFS CY2026 (RVU26D), non-facility (office) rate, CPT 73030
Physical therapy, 16 visits: $1,028. Billed by The therapy clinic. CMS PFS CY2026 (RVU26D), non-facility rates for 97161 and 97110
Questions
How much does a rotator cuff repair cost in total, with every bill?
At national Medicare rates for 2026, the whole rotator cuff repair comes to about $6,371 in a surgery center and about $10,089 in a hospital outpatient, counting the facility, the surgeon, anesthesia and typical care before and after. Commercial plans usually pay more; local rates differ by area.
Why do I get separate bills for a rotator cuff repair?
The surgery center bills for the facility; the surgeon's group bills for the operation (Surgeon, CPT 29827, about $976 from Medicare nationally); the anesthesia group bills by base units plus time (about $266 at our default time); labs, imaging, pathology and therapy each come from their own provider.
What does the surgeon's fee include?
90-day global: the fee covers the operation plus the visit the day before and routine follow-up visits for 90 days.