CPT code 26392: Hand tendon repair, repair or graft reconstruction2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 26392 in California.

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

What 26392 covers

This code represents operative repair or reconstruction of a tendon in the hand, including a procedure involving tendon grafting when that is the technique documented. A hand surgeon or other qualified surgeon typically performs the work in an operating room, often to restore tendon continuity and function after injury or to address a damaged tendon. The operative report should identify the tendon and hand, describe the repair or reconstruction performed, and document graft use when applicable.

Choose this code by matching the operative technique and circumstances to its full CPT descriptor, including distinctions from neighboring codes for primary repair, secondary repair, tendon zone, or graft method. Report units according to the descriptor’s tendon-specific instructions and support them with the operative note. Medicare includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care in the global surgical payment. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 26392 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

How the 26392 rate is calculated

Each of 26392’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 26392

26392 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

26392 compared with similar codes

How to choose

26350Flexor tendon repairPrimary, zones 1-2

Use 26350 when the documented service matches its primary flexor tendon repair circumstances. This code is selected only when the operative details match its distinct repair or graft-reconstruction descriptor.

26352Tendon repairSecondary, without free graft

26352 is a neighboring primary flexor tendon repair code with a specific tendon-zone distinction. Base selection on the operative site and technique, not simply the fact that a hand tendon was repaired.

26358Hand tendon repairRepair or graft

26358 describes a related tendon repair or graft service with different descriptor-level circumstances. Check the full descriptors and operative report to identify the exact procedure performed.

26390Tendon revisionHand or finger

26390 is for tendon revision, while this code represents repair or graft reconstruction. A revision service should not be treated as an interchangeable repair.

Codes related to 26392

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

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates