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Billing code 26135: Finger joint revisionMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical revision of a finger interphalangeal joint to address a joint problem requiring operative correction, counted for each treated joint.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities511 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $519.38 for 26135 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 26135

Finger joint revision

Work RVUs
6.95
Total RVUs
15.55
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$519.38

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 26135 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 26135 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 26135 covers

This service involves surgically revising a finger joint between phalanges, such as a proximal or distal interphalangeal joint. A hand surgeon or other qualified surgeon may perform it in a facility operating room for a painful or function-limiting joint problem that requires operative correction. The record should identify the finger and joint and describe the condition and revision performed; the code represents the joint procedure, not simply evaluation of finger pain or a joint-lining biopsy.

Report the service for each interphalangeal joint revised, supported by the operative report and the documented anatomy and surgical work. CMS 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 multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; 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 26135 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

26135 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$469.85
Alaska*Unavailable$631.46
ArizonaUnavailable$505.50
ArkansasUnavailable$463.72
AtlantaUnavailable$532.83
AustinUnavailable$528.93
BakersfieldUnavailable$529.90
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$551.30
BeaumontUnavailable$494.37
BrazoriaUnavailable$509.35

26135 rates by state

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

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
26135 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 26135 rate is calculated

Each of 26135’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 · 26135

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Work6.95

6.95 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense7.28

7.28 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice1.32

1.32 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

15.5500

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$519.38

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 26135

26135 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 26135

Finger joint revision

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.69/0.21Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 26135

Finger joint revision

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.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

26135 without 51 · national facility

$519.38

Finger joint revision

26135-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$259.69

When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).

When to use modifier 51

26135 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

  • 26135

    Finger joint revision6.95 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 26140

    Synovectomy6.18 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 26535

    Finger joint surgery5.27 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 26536

    Finger joint arthroplasty6.4 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

26140Synovectomy
26140 describes synovectomy of a finger interphalangeal joint. Use 26135 when the documented service is joint revision rather than removal of joint lining alone.
26535Finger joint surgery
Both codes concern interphalangeal-joint surgery, but the operative procedure determines the correct code. Do not choose between them from the diagnosis or joint location alone.
26536Finger joint arthroplasty
26536 is the implant-specific interphalangeal-joint arthroplasty code. The record must support the implant procedure to select it instead of 26135.

Codes related to 26135

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

Codes related to 26135
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
26140SynovectomyRemoves finger interphalangeal joint lining rather than revising the joint.No office rate
26535Finger joint surgeryA related interphalangeal-joint arthroplasty code; distinguish by the specific procedure documented.No office rate
26536Finger joint arthroplastyInterphalangeal-joint arthroplasty involving an implant; select only when supported by the operative details.No office rate

26135 billing questions

How is this different from a finger-joint synovectomy?

This code is for revision of the interphalangeal joint itself. A synovectomy removes diseased joint lining; it does not by itself represent joint revision.

How many units should be reported when more than one joint is revised?

The descriptor is for each joint. The operative report should identify each treated interphalangeal joint and the work performed.

Can modifier 50 be used when both hands are treated?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code. Report the documented joint services using applicable claim-line conventions.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

When is an assistant-at-surgery payable?

CMS payment for an assistant requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

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
RVUs for 26135PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,555 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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