No office rate
Both involve local-tissue collateral ligament reconstruction, but 26545 is for the metacarpophalangeal joint; 26548 is for an interphalangeal joint.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26548 Finger joint reconstruction Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Reports local-tissue reconstruction of a finger interphalangeal collateral ligament to stabilize a chronically unstable joint when direct repair is inadequate. Compare 26548 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 26548 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
$711.90
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 26548: Finger interphalangeal ligament reconstruction
Reports local-tissue reconstruction of a finger interphalangeal collateral ligament to stabilize a chronically unstable joint when direct repair is inadequate.
Code 26548 describes operative reconstruction of a finger interphalangeal joint’s collateral ligament using local tissue, such as advancing or tightening available ligament or capsular tissue to restore stability. A hand surgeon typically performs the procedure for chronic joint instability after ligament injury when direct repair is inadequate and usable local tissue can provide support. It is an open operation, usually performed in an operating room.
The operative report should identify the finger and interphalangeal joint, describe the ligament deficiency and instability, and document the local-tissue reconstruction. Distinguish this technique from a tendon-graft reconstruction or a direct ligament repair. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26548
- 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 RVU8.01 · 35%
- Practice expense (office) RVU13.39 · 58%
- Malpractice RVU1.53 · 7%
393
Medicare services in 2024 · #3752 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.
26548 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Choose 26548 when local tissue is used for the interphalangeal reconstruction. Code 26542 describes that joint reconstruction when a tendon graft is used.
No office rate
Code 26540 describes collateral ligament repair. Code 26548 is for reconstruction with local tissue when repair alone is inadequate.
No office rate
Code 26535 describes interphalangeal joint arthroplasty; 26548 addresses collateral ligament instability through local-tissue reconstruction.
Compare 26548 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
$711.90
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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 26548 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,639
- Code
- 26548
- Physician work
- 8.01
- Practice expense
- 13.39
- Malpractice
- 1.53
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 8.01 | × 1.000 | 8.0100 |
| Practice expense | 13.39 | × 0.889 | 11.9037 |
| Malpractice | 1.53 | × 0.915 | 1.4000 |
| Total RVUs | 21.3137 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Kentucky$711.90
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 8.01 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 13.39 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 1.53 | 0.915 |
(8.01 × 1 + 13.39 × 0.889 + 1.53 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $711.90
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.
26548 billing questions
How does this differ from code 26542?
Code 26548 describes reconstruction using local tissue. Code 26542 is the related interphalangeal-joint reconstruction using a tendon graft.
When is this code more appropriate than 26540?
Use 26548 for reconstruction with local tissue when direct repair is inadequate. Code 26540 describes repair of a collateral ligament rather than this local-tissue reconstruction.
What should the operative note identify?
Document the affected finger and interphalangeal joint, the ligament instability or deficiency, and how local tissue was used to reconstruct it.
Can modifier 50 be reported for bilateral procedures?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
How does the global period affect postoperative billing?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
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.
2,63626542,,Repair hand joint with graft,A,,6.78,12.78,NA,12.78,,1.30,20.86,20.86,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,63726545,,Reconstruct finger joint,A,,6.93,12.94,NA,12.94,,1.31,21.18,21.18,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,63826546,,Repair nonunion hand,A,,10.56,17.16,NA,17.16,,2.02,29.74,29.74,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,63926548,,Reconstruct finger joint,A,,8.01,13.39,NA,13.39,,1.53,22.93,22.93,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,64026550,,Pollicization digit,A,,21.14,20.42,NA,20.42,,4.50,46.06,46.06,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,64126551,,Great toe-hand transfer,A,,47.27,31.71,NA,31.71,,10.10,89.08,89.08,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,64226553,,Single transfer toe-hand,A,,46.97,31.45,NA,31.45,,10.05,88.47,88.47,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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