CPT code 26416: Tendon graft, hand or finger2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $897.15 for 26416 nationally in a facility.

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

What 26416 covers

A hand surgeon uses tendon graft tissue to reconstruct a damaged or deficient tendon in the hand or finger. This may be needed when trauma, tendon loss, or chronic damage leaves a gap or tissue that cannot be managed with a direct repair. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room by an orthopedic or plastic surgeon with hand-surgery expertise. The operative note should identify the tendon and site, the defect or damage being addressed, and the graft-based reconstruction performed.

Report the code when the documented procedure matches graft reconstruction, rather than a repair performed without graft tissue or an excision alone. Documentation should support the tendon involved, graft use, and the surgical work performed. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including 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 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing 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 26416 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

26416 rates by state

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

How the 26416 rate is calculated

Each of 26416’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 26416

26416 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

26416 compared with similar codes

How to choose

26410Hand tendon repairExtensor tendon, without graft

This code concerns graft-based reconstruction of a hand or finger tendon. Use 26410 when the documented hand tendon procedure matches its repair service instead.

26412Tendon repairHand, secondary with graft

Both codes concern hand tendon work involving repair or grafting. Choose based on the exact procedure documented and the code descriptor that matches it.

26418Finger tendon repairWithout free graft

This code describes a finger tendon repair option. Use 26416 when the operative report supports the graft-based reconstruction represented by this code.

26420Tendon repairFinger, with free graft

This is a neighboring finger tendon repair or graft code. Distinguish it from 26416 using the specific procedure performed and documented.

Codes related to 26416

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