No office rate
Choose 26551 when the great toe is transferred to the hand. Code 26550 repositions an existing finger to form a thumb.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26550 Thumb reconstruction Medicare reimbursement rates in Kentucky
Reports surgery that repositions an existing finger, typically the index finger, into the thumb position to create a functional opposable thumb. Compare 26550 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 26550 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
$1449.96
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 26550: Digit pollicization for thumb reconstruction
Reports surgery that repositions an existing finger, typically the index finger, into the thumb position to create a functional opposable thumb.
A hand surgeon uses an existing finger, usually the index finger, to create a thumb when the thumb is absent or severely underdeveloped. The operation moves and reshapes the digit into the thumb position, with adjustments to its bones, tendons, nerves, blood supply, and surrounding skin to support opposition and grasp. It is performed in an operating room, commonly for congenital hand differences such as thumb hypoplasia or absence.
Report the code when the operative work is pollicization, rather than a toe-to-hand transfer or a less extensive change in finger position. The operative report should identify the digit moved, the recipient thumb position, laterality, and reconstructive work performed. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When 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%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26550
- 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 may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU21.14 · 46%
- Practice expense (office) RVU20.42 · 44%
- Malpractice RVU4.50 · 10%
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.
26550 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Kentucky, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
26553 describes a single toe transferred to the hand; 26550 uses a finger already on the hand to create the thumb.
No office rate
26555 covers repositioning a finger when the operation is not pollicization to create a thumb.
Compare 26550 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
$1449.96
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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 26550 in Kentucky.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,640
- Code
- 26550
- Physician work
- 21.14
- Practice expense
- 20.42
- Malpractice
- 4.50
GPCI2026.csv
55
- Locality
- Kentucky
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.889
- Malpractice
- 0.915
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 21.14 | × 1.000 | 21.1400 |
| Practice expense | 20.42 | × 0.889 | 18.1534 |
| Malpractice | 4.50 | × 0.915 | 4.1175 |
| Total RVUs | 43.4109 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Kentucky$1449.96
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 21.14 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 20.42 | 0.889 |
| Malpractice | 4.5 | 0.915 |
(21.14 × 1 + 20.42 × 0.889 + 4.5 × 0.915) × $33.4009 = $1449.96
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.
26550 billing questions
When should 26550 be chosen instead of a toe-to-hand transfer code?
Use 26550 when an existing finger is repositioned to create the thumb. A toe transferred from the foot to the hand is a different operation, represented by codes such as 26551 or 26553.
How does 26550 differ from 26555?
26550 describes converting a digit into a thumb at the thumb position. Consider 26555 when the operation changes a finger's position but does not perform pollicization.
What documentation supports reporting 26550?
Document the thumb deficiency or absence, the digit used, its new position, laterality, and the reconstructive steps performed to create thumb function.
How are bilateral procedures and other same-session procedures paid?
CMS pays bilateral reporting with modifier 50 at 150%. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%.
What postoperative care is included, and may an assistant be paid?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. An assistant at surgery may be paid; 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.
2,63726545,,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
2,64326554,,Double transfer toe-hand,A,,55.58,35.11,NA,35.11,,11.88,102.57,102.57,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,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