CPT code 64831: Digital nerve repair, hand or foot2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Reports surgical suture repair of a digital nerve in a hand or foot, commonly after traumatic transection or laceration.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 64831 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.
Your location
On this page 9 sections
What 64831 covers
A surgeon repairs a cut or transected digital nerve in a finger, thumb, or toe by bringing the nerve ends together and suturing them. This procedure is commonly performed by a hand or orthopedic surgeon, plastic surgeon, or another surgeon experienced in peripheral nerve repair, often in an operating room after a sharp laceration or other injury. The operative record should identify the injured digital nerve and document the repair performed.
Report 64831 for a digital nerve repair in the hand or foot; distinguish it from repair of a non-digital nerve in the hand or foot. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For bilateral procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery services are not paid; co-surgeons and team surgery 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 64831 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
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | Unavailable | $654.80 |
| Chico, CA | Unavailable | $650.06 |
| El Centro, CA | Unavailable | $650.35 |
| Fresno, CA | Unavailable | $650.06 |
| Hanford, CA | Unavailable | $650.06 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Unavailable | $689.60 |
| Madera, CA | Unavailable | $650.06 |
| Marin County, CA | Unavailable | $759.57 |
| Merced, CA | Unavailable | $650.06 |
| Modesto, CA | Unavailable | $650.06 |
| Napa, CA | Unavailable | $726.26 |
| Oxnard, CA | Unavailable | $683.10 |
| Redding, CA | Unavailable | $650.06 |
| Rest of California | Unavailable | $650.06 |
| Riverside, CA | Unavailable | $668.36 |
| Sacramento, CA | Unavailable | $675.07 |
| Salinas, CA | Unavailable | $672.42 |
| San Benito County, CA | Unavailable | $777.65 |
| San Diego, CA | Unavailable | $683.14 |
| San Francisco, CA | Unavailable | $757.64 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Unavailable | $662.47 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | Unavailable | $769.76 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | Unavailable | $685.60 |
| Santa Maria, CA | Unavailable | $673.55 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | Unavailable | $692.03 |
| Stockton, CA | Unavailable | $650.06 |
| Vallejo, CA | Unavailable | $723.48 |
| Visalia, CA | Unavailable | $650.06 |
| Yuba City, CA | Unavailable | $650.06 |
How the 64831 rate is calculated
Each of 64831’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 · 64831
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work8.93
8.93 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense8.64
8.64 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.70
1.70 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
19.2700
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$643.64
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 64831
64831 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 64831
Digital nerve repair, hand or foot
| 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) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.11/0.76/0.13 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 64831
Digital nerve repair, hand or foot
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
64831 without 50 · national facility
$643.64
Digital nerve repair, hand or foot
64831-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$965.46
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).
64831 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 64832Nerve repairEach additional digital nerve
- 64831 reports the primary digital nerve repair; 64832 reports each additional digital nerve repaired and is an add-on code.
- 64834Nerve repairOne hand or foot nerve
- Use 64831 for a digital nerve. Use 64834 when the repaired nerve in the hand or foot is not digital.
- 64835Nerve repairTwo major nerves
- 64835 is for an additional non-digital hand or foot nerve; it is not the add-on for another digital nerve.
64831 billing questions
When should 64831 be selected instead of 64834?
Use 64831 for repair of a digital nerve in the hand or foot. Code 64834 is for a hand or foot nerve other than a digital nerve.
How is another digital nerve repaired in the same session reported?
CPT 64832 is the add-on code for each additional digital nerve. The operative documentation should identify the additional nerve repaired.
What documentation supports 64831?
Document the hand or foot, the specific injured digital nerve, the injury or defect, and the suture repair performed.
How does Medicare pay for bilateral digital nerve repairs?
The CMS bilateral rule specifies modifier 50, with payment at 150% for a bilateral procedure.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be paid for this procedure?
CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for 64831. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
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
Fee sheets
Put 64831 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
Build my fee sheet