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Biopsy of the Joint at the Base of a Toe

North Carolina rates for HCPCS 28052

This procedure opens the joint where a toe meets the long bone of the foot (the metatarsophalangeal joint) through a small incision to obtain a tissue sample from inside it. It is used to investigate unexplained swelling, pain, or a suspected growth in that joint when other tests have not given a clear diagnosis. The joint is closed and the foot is typically protected in a stiff-soled shoe or splint afterward.

Rates data updated October 2026.

How much does Biopsy of the Joint at the Base of a Toe cost?

$2,291

Typical total for the visit. In North Carolina, October 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $2,291 for this procedure. That total is two separate charges: $513 to the doctor who performs it, and $1,778 to the hospital or surgery center where it takes place. Done somewhere without a facility charge, you pay only the first.

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 5 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

What's inside this number

Part of the billTypicalRange
Physician feeThe doctor who performs it$513$355 to $776
Facility feeThe hospital or surgery center$1,778$955 to $3,020

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $1,778 · 10th to 90th $513 to $5,370Professionalmedian $513 · 10th to 90th $200 to $1,047
$200$500$1K$2K$5K$10Kfacility $1,778professional $513

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$251.19
Median
$380.19
Typical High
$7,585.78
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$251.19
Median
$380.19
Typical High
$436.52
BCBS North Carolina
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$1,202.26
Median
$1,862.09
Typical High
$4,786.30
BCBS North Carolina
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$199.53
Median
$616.60
Typical High
$1,096.48
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$602.56
Median
$2,187.76
Typical High
$3,235.94
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$331.13
Median
$398.11
Typical High
$851.14
Medcost
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$575.44
Median
$575.44
Typical High
$1,047.13
Medcost
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$426.58
Median
$977.24
Typical High
$2,398.83
Medcost
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$416.87
Median
$501.19
Typical High
$630.96
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$851.14
Median
$1,698.24
Typical High
$8,709.64
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$257.04
Median
$407.38
Typical High
$831.76
10 more rates with less common billing modifiers

A modifier changes what was billed, for example a reduced or repeated service. Each of these modifiers carries under 10% of the published rates for this code. Modifier combinations, and modifiers with fewer than 30 rates for a carrier, are not listed.

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
52 · Reduced service
Typical Low
$125.89
Median
$181.97
Typical High
$199.53
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
53 · Discontinued
Typical Low
$50.12
Median
$74.13
Typical High
$79.43
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
54 · Surgery only
Typical Low
$186.21
Median
$275.42
Typical High
$295.12
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
55 · Aftercare only
Typical Low
$37.15
Median
$54.95
Typical High
$58.88
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
56 · Pre-op care only
Typical Low
$25.12
Median
$37.15
Typical High
$39.81
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
78 · Unplanned return to OR
Typical Low
$173.78
Median
$257.04
Typical High
$275.42
Medcost
Setting
Facility
Modifier
50 · Both sides
Typical Low
$776.25
Median
$1,445.44
Typical High
$5,011.87
Medcost
Setting
Facility
Modifier
51 · Multiple procedures
Typical Low
$263.03
Median
$489.78
Typical High
$1,698.24
Medcost
Setting
Professional
Modifier
50 · Both sides
Typical Low
$616.60
Median
$758.58
Typical High
$1,380.38
Medcost
Setting
Professional
Modifier
51 · Multiple procedures
Typical Low
$204.17
Median
$251.19
Typical High
$457.09

Where North Carolina sits

The same service costs 6.1 times more in Colorado than in Montana. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Touch or drag across it to read any state, then open that state for its carriers and full range.

Physician feeFacility fee

North Carolina· 28th of 51

$2,291

$513 physician + $1,778 facility

CO $6,296MT $1,039

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.