CPT code 26025: Palm bursa drainage, single bursa2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Reports operative drainage of a collection involving one palmar bursa, with the affected structure and single-bursa extent documented in the operative record.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 26025 in Missouri.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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On this page 9 sections
What 26025 covers
This code describes an operation to open and drain a collection involving one bursa in the palm. A hand or orthopedic surgeon typically performs the procedure in an operating room for a localized palmar bursal infection or abscess. The operative record should identify the affected bursa and describe the drainage performed; drainage of multiple palmar bursae belongs to a different code in this family.
Select the code based on the involved anatomy and number of bursae treated, distinguishing a palmar bursa from a finger abscess or flexor tendon sheath infection. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, which includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.
Where 26025 pays more and less in Missouri
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Kansas City, MO | Unavailable | $391.15 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | Unavailable | $394.66 |
| Rest of Missouri | Unavailable | $375.19 |
How the 26025 rate is calculated
Each of 26025’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 26025
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work4.95
4.95 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.17
6.17 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.99
0.99 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
12.1100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$404.48
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 26025
26025 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 26025
Palm bursa drainage, single bursa
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 26025
Palm bursa drainage, single bursa
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
26025 without 50 · national facility
$404.48
Palm bursa drainage, single bursa
26025-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$606.72
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
26025 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 26030Palm bursa drainageComplicated drainage
- This code is for one palmar bursa; 26030 is selected when multiple palmar bursae are drained.
- 26020Tendon sheath drainageHand, infectious tenosynovitis
- Use 26020 when the collection is in a hand tendon sheath. This code applies when the drained structure is a palmar bursa.
- 26010Abscess drainageFinger, simple
- 26010 describes drainage of a finger abscess. This code is for a collection involving a palmar bursa.
26025 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from drainage of multiple palmar bursae?
Use this code when the operation drains one palmar bursa. Report the multiple-bursa family code when more than one palmar bursa is drained.
How does this differ from drainage of a flexor tendon sheath?
Choose based on the structure drained: this code is for a palmar bursa, while 26020 is for a hand tendon sheath.
What documentation supports the single-bursa selection?
Document the collection's palmar bursal location and identify the single bursa opened and drained. The operative note should make the treated anatomy clear.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral drainage?
CMS lists this as a bilateral procedure; reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
When is an assistant at surgery payable?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
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