CPT code 26358: Hand tendon repair, repair or graft2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

Reports operative repair or grafting of a hand tendon when the surgeon restores tendon continuity or function through the service represented by this code.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 202629 payment localities74 Medicare services in 2024

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 26358 in California.

—Office (non-facility)
$941.56–$1,130.44Hospital or facility

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 9 sections
  1. Rate in California
  2. What 26358 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. How it’s calculated
  5. Payment rules
  6. Similar codes
  7. Related codes
  8. Billing questions
  9. Sources

What 26358 covers

A hand surgeon reports this service for an operation to repair or reconstruct a tendon in the hand, with a graft included when the procedure requires one. The work may address a tendon disrupted by injury or impaired by a defect that prevents direct repair. The operative report should identify the treated tendon, the hand site, the nature of the tendon problem, and the repair or graft technique. This code describes operative tendon work, not manipulation of a finger or removal of an implant.

Report the code that matches the operation documented; related codes distinguish other hand and finger tendon repair or graft services. The 90-day global period 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 other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Bilateral adjustment is inappropriate for this code. An assistant at surgery may be paid; 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 26358 pays more and less in California

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

29 of 29 payment localities

26358 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$948.75
Chico, CAUnavailable$941.56
El Centro, CAUnavailable$942.00
Fresno, CAUnavailable$941.56
Hanford, CAUnavailable$941.56
Los Angeles, CAUnavailable$1,000.47
Madera, CAUnavailable$941.56
Marin County, CAUnavailable$1,103.63
Merced, CAUnavailable$941.56
Modesto, CAUnavailable$941.56

How the 26358 rate is calculated

Each of 26358’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 · 26358

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work12.29

12.29 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense13.04

13.04 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice2.61

2.61 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

27.9400

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$933.22

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 26358

26358 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 26358

Hand tendon repair, repair or graft

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)2Paid.
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 · 26358

Hand tendon repair, repair or graft

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

26358 without 51 · national facility

$933.22

Hand tendon repair, repair or graft

26358-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$466.61

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

26358 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 26358

    Hand tendon repair, repair or graft12.29 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 26320

    Implant removal, hand4 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 26340

    Finger manipulation, under anesthesia, each joint2.73 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 26390

    Tendon revision, hand or finger9.19 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

26320Implant removalHand
26320 reports removal of an implant from the hand. Code 26358 concerns hand tendon repair or graft work, not implant removal.
26340Finger manipulationUnder anesthesia, each joint
26340 describes manipulation of a finger under anesthesia. Use 26358 for the documented operative tendon repair or graft service instead.
26390Tendon revisionHand or finger
26390 concerns revision of a hand or finger tendon. Code 26358 represents the repair or graft service described by its operative documentation, not a revision service by default.

26358 billing questions

What documentation supports reporting this code?

The operative report should identify the hand tendon treated, the underlying tendon problem, and the repair or graft work performed. Document the method and the extent of the procedure.

How is this distinguished from nearby tendon repair codes?

Codes 26350, 26352, 26356, 26357, 26372, and 26392 identify other tendon repair or graft services. Choose the code whose full CPT descriptor matches the documented operation rather than relying on the shared short descriptor.

Can this code be reported with modifier 50?

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

Are related postoperative visits separately included?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

An assistant at surgery may be paid. CMS does not permit co-surgeons or team surgery for this code.

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 26358PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,579 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 26358 pays in California?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 26358 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.

Build my fee sheet