No office rate
Use 26070 for work on a carpometacarpal joint. This code identifies an MCP joint at the base of a finger.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26075 Finger joint surgery Medicare reimbursement rates in Connecticut
Surgical opening of a metacarpophalangeal joint for inspection or treatment, such as draining joint infection or removing a foreign body. Compare 26075 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Connecticut.
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 26075 in Connecticut?
Connecticut 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
$351.40
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Connecticut
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 26075: Metacarpophalangeal joint exploration
Surgical opening of a metacarpophalangeal joint for inspection or treatment, such as draining joint infection or removing a foreign body.
This service opens a metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint—the knuckle where a finger meets the hand—to inspect or treat the joint. A hand or orthopedic surgeon may use it to address suspected joint infection, remove a foreign body or loose material, or evaluate another problem requiring direct access. It is generally performed in an operating-room setting, with the operative report identifying the finger and MCP joint treated and the reason for opening it.
Report the code when the work is directed into the MCP joint, rather than a finger abscess or tendon sheath. Documentation should describe the joint approach, findings, and treatment performed. Medicare 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 others at 50%. Modifier 50 applies to a bilateral procedure, paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26075
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU3.81 · 39%
- Practice expense (office) RVU5.34 · 54%
- Malpractice RVU0.73 · 7%
591
Medicare services in 2024 · #3406 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.
26075 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Connecticut, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Use 26080 when the opened joint is an interphalangeal joint within the finger; this code is for the MCP knuckle.
$402.27
26010 addresses drainage of a finger abscess. This code is appropriate when the surgeon opens the MCP joint for joint-directed exploration or treatment.
Compare 26075 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
Connecticut →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$351.40
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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 26075 in Connecticut.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,540
- Code
- 26075
- Physician work
- 3.81
- Practice expense
- 5.34
- Malpractice
- 0.73
GPCI2026.csv
38
- Locality
- Connecticut
- Physician work
- 1.020
- Practice expense
- 1.077
- Malpractice
- 1.210
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 3.81 | × 1.020 | 3.8862 |
| Practice expense | 5.34 | × 1.077 | 5.7512 |
| Malpractice | 0.73 | × 1.210 | 0.8833 |
| Total RVUs | 10.5207 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Connecticut$351.40
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 3.81 | 1.02 |
| Practice expense | 5.34 | 1.077 |
| Malpractice | 0.73 | 1.21 |
(3.81 × 1.02 + 5.34 × 1.077 + 0.73 × 1.21) × $33.4009 = $351.40
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.
26075 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from 26070 and 26080?
This code is for an MCP joint. Code 26070 is for a carpometacarpal joint, while 26080 is for an interphalangeal joint.
Can this code be used for a finger abscess?
Use it when the surgeon opens the MCP joint for joint-directed exploration or treatment. A superficial finger abscess without joint entry is a different service, such as the one described by 26010.
What documentation supports reporting this service?
Document the specific MCP joint, why it required surgical opening, the operative findings, and any drainage or removal performed.
How are bilateral and multiple procedures handled?
CMS pays a bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50 at 150%. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%.
Is an assistant or co-surgeon payable?
CMS restricts assistant-at-surgery payment for this code. 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.
2,53726055,,Incise finger tendon sheath,A,,3.03,15.24,,5.00,,0.58,18.85,8.61,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,53826060,,Incision of finger tendon,A,,2.84,4.00,NA,4.00,,0.45,7.29,7.29,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,53926070,,Explore/treat hand joint,A,,3.71,4.98,NA,4.98,,0.68,9.37,9.37,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,54026075,,Explore/treat finger joint,A,,3.81,5.34,NA,5.34,,0.73,9.88,9.88,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,54126080,,Explore/treat finger joint,A,,4.36,6.41,NA,6.41,,0.84,11.61,11.61,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,54226100,,Biopsy hand joint lining,A,,3.70,5.65,NA,5.65,,0.79,10.14,10.14,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,54326105,,Biopsy finger joint lining,A,,3.73,5.66,NA,5.66,,0.80,10.19,10.19,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
3501112,CA,70,YUBA CITY,1.017,1.096,0.536
3601112,CA,75,REST OF CALIFORNIA,1.017,1.096,0.536
3704112,CO,01,COLORADO,1.012,1.064,0.781
3813102,CT,00,CONNECTICUT,1.020,1.077,1.210
3912202,DC,01,DC + MD/VA SUBURBS,1.054,1.178,1.113
4012102,DE,01,DELAWARE,1.005,0.988,0.899
4109102,FL,03,FORT LAUDERDALE,1.000,1.013,1.808