CPT code 26843: Hand joint fusion, carpometacarpal, not thumb2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Washington, DC area

In Washington, DC area, Medicare pays $871.59 for 26843 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 26843 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 26843 covers

An orthopedic or hand surgeon uses this service to fuse a carpometacarpal joint other than the thumb’s. The surgeon prepares the joint surfaces and stabilizes them to promote bony union. Typical situations include a painful, arthritic or unstable joint at the base of a finger metacarpal. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room; fixation may be used. This code is for the fusion without autogenous bone grafting.

Select the code based on the joint fused: this code identifies a nonthumb carpometacarpal joint, while 26844 is the graft counterpart. Document the specific joint, the reason for fusion, and the operative work supporting arthrodesis. 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 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant at surgery may be paid; 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 26843

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 26843 runs from $678.18 in Arkansas to $976.51 in San Benito County, CA. Washington, DC area pays $871.59. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

26843 rates by state

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

See 26843 in every payment locality

How the 26843 rate is calculated

Each of 26843’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 26843

26843 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 26843

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

How 26843 has changed in Washington, DC area

Price 26843 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

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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