No office rate
Choose 26508 for the thumb. Choose 26520 when the contracture being released is at a knuckle joint.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26508 Thumb contracture release Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Surgical release of a fixed thumb contracture, reported when shortened soft tissue restricts thumb position or motion and requires operative correction. Compare 26508 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 26508 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
$593.37
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 26508: Surgical release of thumb contracture
Surgical release of a fixed thumb contracture, reported when shortened soft tissue restricts thumb position or motion and requires operative correction.
This service surgically releases shortened tissue that holds the thumb in a restricted position, such as a scar-related limitation of thumb opening or opposition. It is typically performed by a hand, orthopedic, or plastic surgeon when the restriction causes functional impairment and needs operative correction. The operative report should identify the affected thumb, the contracture and its effect on motion or function, and the tissue released.
Report the code for the thumb contracture release itself, distinguishing it from a finger or knuckle contracture release and from a tendon transfer. The major-surgery global period includes 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 other procedures at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26508
- 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
- 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 RVU6.03 · 31%
- Practice expense (office) RVU12.13 · 63%
- Malpractice RVU1.04 · 5%
79
Medicare services in 2024 · #5059 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.
26508 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Choose 26508 for a thumb contracture; 26525 addresses a finger contracture.
No office rate
26508 releases contracted tissue. 26510 is for a thumb tendon transfer, which reroutes a tendon rather than releasing the contracture.
Compare 26508 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
$593.37
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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 26508 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,623
- Code
- 26508
- Physician work
- 6.03
- Practice expense
- 12.13
- Malpractice
- 1.04
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 6.03 | × 1.000 | 6.0300 |
| Practice expense | 12.13 | × 0.889 | 10.7836 |
| Malpractice | 1.04 | × 0.915 | 0.9516 |
| Total RVUs | 17.7652 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Kentucky$593.37
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 6.03 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 12.13 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 1.04 | 0.915 |
(6.03 × 1 + 12.13 × 0.889 + 1.04 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $593.37
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.
26508 billing questions
How does this differ from 26520 or 26525?
Use 26508 for a contracture of the thumb. Codes 26520 and 26525 address contractures at a knuckle joint or in a finger, respectively.
Is this the right code for a thumb tendon transfer?
No. This code represents release of contracted tissue; 26510 describes a thumb tendon transfer, which changes tendon mechanics rather than releasing the contracture.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Document the thumb contracture, its effect on motion or function, the operative release performed, and the side treated.
How is bilateral treatment reported?
For bilateral treatment, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
Can an assistant surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is allowed only when the record documents medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and other procedures at 50% under 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.
2,62026499,,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
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
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