CPT code 26477: Tendon shortening, hand or finger, each tendon2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Washington, DC area

In Washington, DC area, Medicare pays $699.54 for 26477 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 26477 nationwide

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

What 26477 covers

CPT 26477 describes an operation that reduces the effective length of a hand or finger tendon and secures it at the corrected length. A hand, orthopedic, or plastic surgeon may perform it in an operating room when tendon length or tension needs correction to improve position or function. The operative report should identify the tendon and site and describe the shortening performed and the clinical problem being treated.

Report the service for each tendon shortened, with documentation supporting the number of tendons treated. The code has a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Do not use modifier 50 for bilateral adjustment. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; co-surgeons require 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.

How Washington, DC area compares for 26477

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 26477 runs from $540.41 in Arkansas to $797.75 in San Benito County, CA. Washington, DC area pays $699.54. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

26477 rates by state

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

See 26477 in every payment locality

How the 26477 rate is calculated

Each of 26477’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 26477

26477 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

Codes related to 26477

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

How 26477 has changed in Washington, DC area

Price 26477 for an earlier date of service

Where the Washington, DC area rate applies

Washington, DC area is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 1 cities and communities in District of Columbia. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Washington

Browse all communities in District of Columbia

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