CPT code 26553: Toe-hand transfer, single toe2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Missouri
Reports microsurgical transfer of one toe to the hand to reconstruct a missing or severely deficient digit, with the great-toe-specific and double-transfer services coded separately.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 26553 in Missouri.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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On this page 9 sections
What 26553 covers
This operation moves one toe, along with the tissues needed for reconstruction, to the hand and reconnects its blood supply using microsurgical techniques. Hand surgeons and reconstructive microsurgeons perform it to restore useful digit length, opposition, or grasp after traumatic loss or for a congenital hand deficiency. The operation involves coordinated treatment of the donor foot and recipient hand, typically in an operating room.
Select this code for a single toe transfer; use the great-toe-specific code when that service applies and the double-transfer code when two toes are transferred. The operative report should identify the number and source of transferred toes, the recipient-hand reconstruction, and the microsurgical work. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the following 90 days. In a same-session multiple-procedure case, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Modifier 50 bilateral procedures are paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; 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 26553 pays more and less in Missouri
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Kansas City, MO | Unavailable | $2,883.18 |
| Metropolitan St. Louis, MO | Unavailable | $2,905.23 |
| Rest of Missouri | Unavailable | $2,801.29 |
How the 26553 rate is calculated
Each of 26553’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 · 26553
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work46.97
46.97 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense31.45
31.45 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice10.05
10.05 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
88.4700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$2,954.98
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 26553
26553 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 26553
Toe-hand transfer, single toe
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 26553
Toe-hand transfer, single toe
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
26553 without 50 · national facility
$2,954.98
Toe-hand transfer, single toe
26553-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$4,432.47
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
26553 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 26551Toe-to-hand transferGreat toe
- 26551 is the great-toe-specific transfer. Use 26553 for a single transfer when the great-toe-specific service does not apply.
- 26554Toe-to-hand transferDouble transfer
- 26554 describes a double toe-to-hand transfer; 26553 describes a single transfer.
- 26556Toe joint transferToe joint to hand
- 26556 transfers a toe joint to the hand, rather than transferring a whole toe as in 26553.
- 26550Thumb reconstructionFinger-to-thumb repositioning
- 26550 reconstructs a thumb by pollicization of an existing digit; 26553 uses a toe transferred from the foot.
26553 billing questions
When should 26553 be chosen instead of 26551?
Use 26553 for a single toe transfer when the great-toe-specific service does not apply. Code 26551 identifies transfer of the great toe.
How does 26553 differ from 26554?
26553 represents one transferred toe; 26554 is for a double toe transfer. The operative report should support the number of toes transferred.
Is related postoperative care separately reported during the global period?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the following 90 days.
Can an assistant surgeon be reported?
CMS permits payment for an assistant at surgery. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
How is a bilateral procedure handled?
For a bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50, CMS pays at 150%.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%.
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
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