No office rate
This code is for an opponensplasty using a superficial tendon. Choose based on that defined operation rather than treating every thumb tendon transfer as the same service.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26510 Tendon transfer Medicare reimbursement rates in Indiana
Reports surgery that transfers a tendon to restore thumb movement, with selection based on the operative technique and the tendon’s destination. Compare 26510 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Indiana.
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 26510 in Indiana?
Indiana 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
$579.63
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Indiana
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 26510: Thumb tendon transfer
Reports surgery that transfers a tendon to restore thumb movement, with selection based on the operative technique and the tendon’s destination.
In this operation, a surgeon redirects a functioning tendon and attaches it to the thumb to restore active movement when the thumb’s normal tendon action is deficient. Hand and orthopedic surgeons commonly perform the procedure in an operating room for problems related to tendon injury or loss, nerve dysfunction, or congenital conditions. The operative report should identify the transferred tendon, its new attachment, the thumb function being restored, and any additional procedures performed.
Report the code when the documented operation is a tendon transfer to the thumb; distinguish it from a procedure directed at another hand structure or a specifically defined opponensplasty technique. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one 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. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26510
- 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 is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU5.46 · 29%
- Practice expense (office) RVU12.28 · 65%
- Malpractice RVU1.05 · 6%
221
Medicare services in 2024 · #4231 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.
26510 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Indiana, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
This code describes opponensplasty using another tendon. The operative technique and donor tendon, not simply the goal of improving thumb function, guide code selection.
No office rate
This code releases a thumb contracture; it does not transfer a tendon to restore active thumb movement.
Compare 26510 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
Indiana →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$579.63
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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 26510 in Indiana.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,624
- Code
- 26510
- Physician work
- 5.46
- Practice expense
- 12.28
- Malpractice
- 1.05
GPCI2026.csv
52
- Locality
- Indiana
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.927
- Malpractice
- 0.486
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 5.46 | × 1.000 | 5.4600 |
| Practice expense | 12.28 | × 0.927 | 11.3836 |
| Malpractice | 1.05 | × 0.486 | 0.5103 |
| Total RVUs | 17.3539 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Indiana$579.63
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.46 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 12.28 | 0.927 |
| Malpractice | 1.05 | 0.486 |
(5.46 × 1 + 12.28 × 0.927 + 1.05 × 0.486) × $33.4009 = $579.63
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.
26510 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from an opponensplasty code?
Base selection on the operation actually performed and the documented tendon transfer. Codes 26490 and 26492 describe opponensplasty by tendon type, so do not choose this code solely because the thumb’s opposition is being improved.
What operative details support reporting this code?
Document the donor tendon, its route and attachment, the thumb movement being restored, and the reason normal tendon function is inadequate.
Can modifier 50 be used for a transfer on both thumbs?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; modifier 50 should not be used.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity.
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.
2,62126500,,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
2,62226502,,Hand tendon reconstruction,A,,7.13,13.68,NA,13.68,,1.50,22.31,22.31,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,62326508,,Release thumb contracture,A,,6.03,12.13,NA,12.13,,1.04,19.20,19.20,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,62426510,,Thumb tendon transfer,A,,5.46,12.28,NA,12.28,,1.05,18.79,18.79,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,62526516,,Fusion of knuckle joint,A,,7.14,12.97,NA,12.97,,1.37,21.48,21.48,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,62626517,,Fusion of knuckle joints,A,,8.85,14.58,NA,14.58,,1.88,25.31,25.31,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,62726518,,Fusion of knuckle joints,A,,9.04,14.64,NA,14.64,,1.92,25.60,25.60,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
4906102,IL,12,EAST ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.920,2.014
5006102,IL,15,SUBURBAN CHICAGO,1.007,1.027,1.772
5106102,IL,99,REST OF ILLINOIS,1.000,0.913,1.563
5208102,IN,00,INDIANA,1.000,0.927,0.486
5305102,IA,00,IOWA,1.000,0.915,0.397
5405202,KS,00,KANSAS,1.000,0.904,0.504
5515102,KY,00,KENTUCKY,1.000,0.889,0.915