No office rate
Use 26497 for transfer of a finger flexor tendon; 26498 describes the corresponding transfer involving a finger extensor tendon.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26497 Tendon transfer Medicare reimbursement rates in Alabama
Reports transfer of a flexor tendon in a finger to restore useful movement when the original tendon function is impaired. Compare 26497 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alabama.
Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.
What does Medicare pay for 26497 in Alabama?
Alabama has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$788.50
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alabama
One mapped payment locality.
These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.
Hand surgery
About 26497: Finger flexor tendon transfer
Reports transfer of a flexor tendon in a finger to restore useful movement when the original tendon function is impaired.
A hand surgeon transfers a flexor tendon to restore or improve finger movement when the existing tendon cannot provide adequate function. The operation redirects tendon force to a recipient attachment; the specific donor tendon, recipient finger, and functional problem depend on the reconstruction. It is typically performed in an operating room by an orthopedic or plastic surgeon specializing in hand surgery.
Report this code for the finger flexor tendon transfer itself, not for tendon release or lengthening alone. The operative report should identify the transferred tendon, recipient site, finger, and reason for redirecting its pull. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 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 for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26497
- Global period
- Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
- Multiple procedures
- Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
- Bilateral procedures
- Bilateral adjustment does not apply; the descriptor or anatomy makes modifier 50 inappropriate.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU9.52 · 36%
- Practice expense (office) RVU14.78 · 56%
- Malpractice RVU2.04 · 8%
96
Medicare services in 2024 · #4916 by national volume
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.
26497 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alabama, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
26494 covers a hand tendon or muscle transfer. Choose 26497 when the transferred structure and operative work are specifically a finger flexor tendon transfer.
No office rate
26492 concerns a thumb tendon transfer with a graft. It is not the code for a finger flexor tendon transfer.
No office rate
26440 is a flexor tendon release for adhesions in the palm or finger. It does not describe transferring the tendon to redirect its pull.
Compare 26497 by payment locality
Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.
1 of 1 payment localities
Alabama →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$788.50
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
How this local rate is calculated
Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 26497 in Alabama.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,618
- Code
- 26497
- Physician work
- 9.52
- Practice expense
- 14.78
- Malpractice
- 2.04
GPCI2026.csv
4
- Locality
- Alabama
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.875
- Malpractice
- 0.566
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 9.52 | × 1.000 | 9.5200 |
| Practice expense | 14.78 | × 0.875 | 12.9325 |
| Malpractice | 2.04 | × 0.566 | 1.1546 |
| Total RVUs | 23.6071 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alabama$788.50
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 9.52 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 14.78 | 0.875 |
| Malpractice | 2.04 | 0.566 |
(9.52 × 1 + 14.78 × 0.875 + 2.04 × 0.566) × $33.4009 = $788.50
The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.
26497 billing questions
How does 26497 differ from 26498?
26497 is for transfer of a finger flexor tendon. 26498 is the corresponding finger extensor tendon transfer.
Can 26497 be reported for tendon release or lengthening?
No. The procedure must redirect a flexor tendon to a new attachment; release and lengthening describe different work.
What should the operative report document?
Identify the donor tendon, recipient attachment, finger treated, and functional problem prompting the transfer. The documentation should make clear that a transfer was performed rather than an isolated release or lengthening.
Should modifier 50 be used for bilateral finger transfers?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
How does the global period affect postoperative visits?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care.
Can an assistant surgeon be paid for this procedure?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. 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 indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.
Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.
2,61526492,,Tendon transfer with graft,A,,9.59,15.38,NA,15.38,,2.05,27.02,27.02,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,61626494,,Hand tendon/muscle transfer,A,,8.44,14.44,NA,14.44,,1.79,24.67,24.67,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,61726496,,Revise thumb tendon,A,,9.54,14.79,NA,14.79,,2.04,26.37,26.37,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,61826497,,Finger tendon transfer,A,,9.52,14.78,NA,14.78,,2.04,26.34,26.34,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,61926498,,Finger tendon transfer,A,,13.85,16.73,NA,16.73,,2.95,33.53,33.53,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,62026499,,Correction claw finger other,A,,8.94,14.61,NA,14.61,,1.91,25.46,25.46,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,62126500,,Hand tendon reconstruction,A,,5.98,13.31,NA,13.31,,1.28,20.57,20.57,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
1ADDENDUM E. FINAL CY 2026 GEOGRAPHIC PRACTICE COST INDICES (GPCIs) BY STATE AND MEDICARE LOCALITY,,,,,,
2,,,,,,
3Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC),State,Locality Number,Locality Name,2026 PW GPCI (with 1.0 Floor)***,2026 PE GPCI,2026 MP GPCI
410112,AL,00,ALABAMA,1.000,0.875,0.566
502102,AK,01,ALASKA*,1.500,1.065,0.551
603102,AZ,00,ARIZONA,1.000,0.969,0.856
707102,AR,13,ARKANSAS,1.000,0.859,0.515