No office rate
Both address an MCP joint. Choose 26852 when the fusion uses internal fixation and bone graft; 26850 describes MCP fusion without internal fixation.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26852 Knuckle fusion Medicare reimbursement rates in Alaska
Reports fusion of a finger’s metacarpophalangeal joint using internal fixation and bone graft, such as for painful arthritis or joint instability. Compare 26852 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alaska.
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 26852 in Alaska?
Alaska 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
$942.68
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Alaska*
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 26852: Finger metacarpophalangeal fusion with graft
Reports fusion of a finger’s metacarpophalangeal joint using internal fixation and bone graft, such as for painful arthritis or joint instability.
This service fuses a metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint—the knuckle where a finger meets the hand—using internal fixation and bone graft. A hand or orthopedic surgeon may perform it for a painful, unstable, or severely damaged joint, including after trauma or when arthritis has made motion unreliable. The code’s graft component includes obtaining the autograft. It is for an MCP joint, not a thumb carpometacarpal joint or a finger interphalangeal joint.
Report the code for the MCP fusion with fixation and graft, identifying the digit and documenting the condition, operative work, fixation, and graft use. The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in its 90-day global period. When other 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. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26852
- 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 paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU8.49 · 36%
- Practice expense (office) RVU13.71 · 58%
- Malpractice RVU1.61 · 7%
769
Medicare services in 2024 · #3190 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.
26852 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Alaska, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
26860 is for a finger interphalangeal joint, such as a joint within the finger. 26852 is for the MCP knuckle where the finger meets the hand.
No office rate
26862 describes graft-assisted fusion at a finger interphalangeal joint. Use 26852 when the fused joint is the MCP joint.
No office rate
26844 is for graft-assisted fusion of a non-thumb carpometacarpal joint. 26852 is for fusion of a finger MCP joint.
Compare 26852 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
Alaska* →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$942.68
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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 26852 in Alaska*.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,697
- Code
- 26852
- Physician work
- 8.49
- Practice expense
- 13.71
- Malpractice
- 1.61
GPCI2026.csv
5
- Locality
- Alaska*
- Physician work
- 1.500
- Practice expense
- 1.065
- Malpractice
- 0.551
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 8.49 | × 1.500 | 12.7350 |
| Practice expense | 13.71 | × 1.065 | 14.6012 |
| Malpractice | 1.61 | × 0.551 | 0.8871 |
| Total RVUs | 28.2233 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Alaska*$942.68
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 8.49 | 1.5 |
| Practice expense | 13.71 | 1.065 |
| Malpractice | 1.61 | 0.551 |
(8.49 × 1.5 + 13.71 × 1.065 + 1.61 × 0.551) × $33.4009 = $942.68
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.
26852 billing questions
How does 26852 differ from 26850?
26852 describes MCP fusion using internal fixation and bone graft. 26850 is the related MCP fusion code without internal fixation.
Can the bone-graft harvest be billed separately?
The graft component of 26852 includes obtaining the autograft. Do not report a separate harvest charge for that included work.
Which joint does 26852 cover?
It covers a finger metacarpophalangeal joint at the knuckle. A thumb carpometacarpal fusion or a finger interphalangeal fusion is coded from a different part of the arthrodesis family.
What documentation supports reporting 26852?
The operative report should identify the digit and MCP joint, the fusion performed, use of internal fixation, and the bone graft. Document the clinical reason for fusion, such as joint pain or instability.
Should modifier 50 be used for bilateral MCP fusions?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code. Report the service according to the applicable coding instructions for each procedure performed.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50% when performed in the same session.
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.
2,69426843,,Fusion of hand joint,A,,7.59,13.83,NA,13.83,,1.62,23.04,23.04,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,69526844,,Fusion/graft of hand joint,A,,8.76,14.55,NA,14.55,,1.86,25.17,25.17,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,69626850,,Fusion of knuckle,A,,6.96,12.87,NA,12.87,,1.32,21.15,21.15,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,69726852,,Fusion of knuckle with graft,A,,8.49,13.71,NA,13.71,,1.61,23.81,23.81,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,69826860,,Fusion of finger joint,A,,4.76,12.49,NA,12.49,,0.91,18.16,18.16,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,69926861,,Fusion of finger jnt add-on,A,,1.70,0.56,NA,0.56,,0.34,2.60,2.60,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,70026862,,Fusion/graft of finger joint,A,,7.37,13.32,NA,13.32,,1.39,22.08,22.08,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,,,,,,
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
801112,CA,54,BAKERSFIELD,1.019,1.096,0.609