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CPT code 26320: Implant removal, hand2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports operative removal of an implanted device from the hand, such as fixation hardware that is painful, prominent, or no longer needed.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities492 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $337.68 for 26320 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 26320

Implant removal, hand

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
4
Total RVUs
10.11
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$337.68

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 26320 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 26320 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 26320 covers

A hand surgeon or orthopedic surgeon uses this service to remove an implanted device from the hand, often after a fracture has healed or when hardware causes pain, prominence, or other problems. Examples include a buried wire, pin, screw, or plate. Removal involves operative access to the implant; it is not simply removal of an external splint or dressing. The procedure may take place in a hospital or ambulatory surgery setting.

Select the code for an implant in the hand, rather than a general implant-removal code for another site or a foreign-body removal code. The operative report should identify the implant, its hand location, and the work performed to remove it. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; 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 26320 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

26320 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$304.12
AlaskaUnavailable$404.36
ArizonaUnavailable$328.41
ArkansasUnavailable$299.95
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$346.17
Austin, TXUnavailable$345.31
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$347.13
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$358.99
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$319.81
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$331.42

26320 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
26320 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 26320 rate is calculated

Each of 26320’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 · 26320

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work4.00

4.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense5.33

5.33 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.78

0.78 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

10.1100

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$337.68

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 26320

26320 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 26320

Implant removal, hand

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.69/0.21Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 26320

Implant removal, hand

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.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

26320 without 51 · national facility

$337.68

Implant removal, hand

26320-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$168.84

When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).

When to use modifier 51

26320 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 26320

    Implant removal, hand4 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 20670

    Implant removal, superficial hardware1.75 wRVU

    $370.42

  • 20680

    Implant removal, deep implant5.81 wRVU

    $631.95

  • 20525

    Foreign body removal, deep or complicated3.45 wRVU

    $497.01

How to choose

20670Implant removalSuperficial hardware
20670 addresses superficial implant removal in applicable circumstances. For an implanted device in the hand, consider the hand-specific 26320 code.
20680Implant removalDeep implant
20680 is a general code for deep implant removal. 26320 identifies removal of an implant from the hand.
20525Foreign body removalDeep or complicated
20525 concerns removal of a deep foreign body, not an implanted device such as fixation hardware.

Codes related to 26320

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Codes related to 26320
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
20670Implant removal, superficial hardwareGeneral superficial implant-removal code for applicable sites and circumstances.$323.33–$506.56
20680Implant removal, deep implantGeneral deep implant-removal code when the service is not the hand-specific removal represented by 26320.$558.02–$814.76
20525Foreign body removal, deep or complicatedFor qualifying deep foreign-body removal, rather than removal of an implanted device.$435.59–$658.45

26320 billing questions

When should I report 26320 instead of a general implant-removal code?

Use 26320 for operative removal of an implant located in the hand. General implant-removal codes are relevant to other sites or circumstances, such as a superficial implant addressed by 20670 or a deep implant addressed by 20680.

Is removal of a retained foreign body the same service?

No. An implanted device, such as fixation hardware, is different from an unintentional retained foreign body; code 20525 may describe removal of a deep foreign body in the appropriate circumstances.

Should modifier 50 be appended when both hands are treated?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code, so modifier 50 should not be used.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.

Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be billed?

Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. 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

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 26320PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,572 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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