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Billing code 26952: Digit amputationMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports amputation of a single finger or thumb when local tissue is advanced to cover the residual digit, such as with a V-Y flap.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities1.5K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $667.68 for 26952 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 26952

Digit amputation

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
6.32
Total RVUs
19.99
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$667.68

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 26952 → · 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 26952 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 26952 covers

This service removes a finger or thumb at a joint or through a phalanx and uses nearby tissue advanced into the defect to cover the residual digit. A V-Y advancement flap is a familiar example. Hand surgeons typically perform it in an operating room for traumatic tissue loss or a nonviable, painful digit when direct closure is not the documented closure method. The service includes treatment of the digital nerves as part of the amputation procedure.

Select this code when the operative report supports amputation of one digit and a local advancement flap; direct closure instead points to the related 26951. Document the digit, amputation level, and flap technique. 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% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; 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 26952 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

26952 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$597.92
Alaska*Unavailable$781.79
ArizonaUnavailable$648.89
ArkansasUnavailable$589.17
AtlantaUnavailable$683.22
AustinUnavailable$687.52
BakersfieldUnavailable$695.52
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$711.13
BeaumontUnavailable$627.37
BrazoriaUnavailable$656.59

26952 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

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
26952 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 26952 rate is calculated

Each of 26952’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 · 26952

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 6.32Practice expense 12.44Malpractice 1.23

19.9900 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$667.68

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 26952

26952 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 26952

Digit amputation

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)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
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 · 26952

Digit amputation

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.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned 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

26952 without 51 · national facility

$667.68

Digit amputation

26952-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$333.84

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

26952 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

26952 vs 26951 vs 26910 vs 26989: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 26952
    Digit amputation · 6.32 wRVU
    —
  • 26951
    Digit amputation · 5.89 wRVU
    —
  • 26910
    Ray amputation · 7.6 wRVU
    —
  • 26989
    · 0 wRVU
    —

How to choose

26951Digit amputation
Choose 26952 for a local advancement flap covering the amputation site; choose 26951 when the documented closure is direct.
26910Ray amputation
26910 describes an amputation that includes the metacarpal as a ray procedure. 26952 is for a finger or thumb amputation with local advancement-flap coverage.
26989Unlisted px hands/fingers
Use 26989 only when no listed hand or finger procedure code describes the service. A digit amputation with a local advancement flap is specifically represented by 26952.

Codes related to 26952

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

Codes related to 26952
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
26951Digit amputationSingle-digit amputation with direct closure rather than a local advancement flap.No office rate
Used instead
26910Ray amputationUsed for a ray-level amputation involving the metacarpal, rather than an amputation limited to a digit.No office rate
26989Unlisted px hands/fingersUnlisted hand or finger procedure code for a procedure not accurately represented by a listed code.No office rate

26952 billing questions

How does 26952 differ from 26951?

Use 26952 when local tissue is advanced to cover the amputation site. Code 26951 is the choice when the digit is closed directly.

Is the advancement flap separately reported?

No. The local advancement flap is the distinguishing closure method included in 26952; do not report it again as a separate service.

What documentation supports 26952?

The operative report should identify the digit and amputation level and describe the local tissue advancement used to cover the site. A note describing only direct closure does not support this code's flap distinction.

Can modifier 50 be used for both hands?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code. The descriptor and anatomy do not support modifier 50.

Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be billed?

Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. 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
RVUs for 26952PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,704 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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