No office rate
Choose 26476 when the surgeon lengthens a hand or finger tendon; choose 26477 when the operative work shortens it.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26476 Tendon lengthening Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Reports surgical lengthening of a hand or finger tendon when the surgeon increases tendon length to address restricted motion or abnormal tension. Compare 26476 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Kentucky.
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 26476 in Kentucky?
Kentucky 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
$596.67
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Kentucky
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 26476: Hand or finger tendon lengthening
Reports surgical lengthening of a hand or finger tendon when the surgeon increases tendon length to address restricted motion or abnormal tension.
A hand surgeon lengthens a tendon in the hand or finger to change its tension and improve motion or correct a tendon-related deformity. The procedure may be part of operative treatment for a contracture or an imbalance affecting finger position. It is generally performed in an operating room, with the surgeon identifying the tendon and documenting the operative changes made to it.
Report the code for each tendon treated, and document the tendon, hand or finger involved, the clinical problem, and the lengthening performed. This major procedure has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for it; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26476
- 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
- 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 RVU5.22 · 27%
- Practice expense (office) RVU13.07 · 67%
- Malpractice RVU1.12 · 6%
96
Medicare services in 2024 · #4915 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.
26476 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Both codes concern tendon lengthening in the hand region. Use the full CPT descriptors and documented tendon and anatomic scope to distinguish them.
No office rate
26440 describes tendon release in the palm or finger, while 26476 describes lengthening a tendon. The operative work, not the general goal of improved motion, determines the code.
Compare 26476 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
Kentucky →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$596.67
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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 26476 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,606
- Code
- 26476
- Physician work
- 5.22
- Practice expense
- 13.07
- Malpractice
- 1.12
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 5.22 | × 1.000 | 5.2200 |
| Practice expense | 13.07 | × 0.889 | 11.6192 |
| Malpractice | 1.12 | × 0.915 | 1.0248 |
| Total RVUs | 17.8640 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Kentucky$596.67
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.22 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 13.07 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 1.12 | 0.915 |
(5.22 × 1 + 13.07 × 0.889 + 1.12 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $596.67
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.
26476 billing questions
When should this code be chosen instead of tendon shortening?
Use this code when the operative work lengthens the hand or finger tendon. Tendon shortening is the counterpart when the surgeon reduces tendon length.
How many units should be reported?
Report the service for each tendon lengthened. The operative report should identify each tendon treated and the work performed.
Is postoperative care separately reported during the global period?
Related postoperative care for 90 days is included, as is the day-before preoperative visit. The global period begins with the major surgery.
Can modifier 50 be used when both hands are treated?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures in the session are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
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.
2,60326460,,Incise hand/finger tendon,A,,3.49,9.29,NA,9.29,,0.65,13.43,13.43,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,60426471,,Fusion of finger tendons,A,,5.75,12.45,NA,12.45,,1.07,19.27,19.27,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,60526474,,Fusion of finger tendons,A,,5.35,13.12,NA,13.12,,1.14,19.61,19.61,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,60626476,,Tendon lengthening,A,,5.22,13.07,NA,13.07,,1.12,19.41,19.41,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,60726477,,Tendon shortening,A,,5.19,12.20,NA,12.20,,0.99,18.38,18.38,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,60826478,,Lengthening of hand tendon,A,,5.82,12.54,NA,12.54,,1.13,19.49,19.49,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,60926479,,Shortening of hand tendon,A,,5.76,13.25,NA,13.25,,1.23,20.24,20.24,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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
5607202,LA,01,NEW ORLEANS,1.000,0.941,1.136
5707202,LA,99,REST OF LOUISIANA,1.000,0.885,0.958
5814112,ME,03,SOUTHERN MAINE,1.000,0.991,0.631