No office rate
Use 26080 for an interphalangeal joint and 26075 for a metacarpophalangeal joint. The joint entered determines which code fits.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26080 Finger joint arthrotomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Maine
Operative opening of a finger interphalangeal joint for direct assessment, drainage, or removal of a loose or foreign body. Compare 26080 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Maine.
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 26080 in Maine?
Maine has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$360.05–$375.50
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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 26080: Interphalangeal joint arthrotomy and exploration
Operative opening of a finger interphalangeal joint for direct assessment, drainage, or removal of a loose or foreign body.
26080 represents operative entry into a finger interphalangeal joint to inspect the joint, drain material, or remove a loose or foreign body. A hand or orthopedic surgeon may perform it when direct access is needed, such as for drainage of an infected joint or removal of an object or loose body within the joint. The operative report should identify the finger joint entered, the clinical reason, and the work performed.
Select this code for an interphalangeal joint, rather than a metacarpophalangeal joint, superficial finger abscess, or flexor tendon sheath. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, including 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 the others at 50%. CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply, so modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26080
- 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 RVU4.36 · 38%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.41 · 55%
- Malpractice RVU0.84 · 7%
2.2K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2392 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.
26080 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Maine, from the same CMS release.
$346.44–$368.82
26010 describes drainage of a finger abscess. Use 26080 when the operative work opens the interphalangeal joint for exploration, drainage, or removal of material.
No office rate
26020 applies to drainage of a hand tendon sheath. 26080 is for operative work within a finger interphalangeal joint.
Compare 26080 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Rest Of Maine →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$360.05
Southern Maine →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$375.50
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26080 billing questions
How does 26080 differ from 26075?
26080 is for an interphalangeal joint of a finger. 26075 is for a metacarpophalangeal joint.
Can the drainage or exploration be billed separately?
Exploration, drainage, or removal of a loose or foreign body is part of the arthrotomy service described by 26080 when performed through that joint opening.
Should modifier 50 be used for procedures on both hands?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inapplicable to 26080, making modifier 50 inappropriate.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. 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.
2,53826060,,Incision of finger tendon,A,,2.84,4.00,NA,4.00,,0.45,7.29,7.29,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,53926070,,Explore/treat hand joint,A,,3.71,4.98,NA,4.98,,0.68,9.37,9.37,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,54026075,,Explore/treat finger joint,A,,3.81,5.34,NA,5.34,,0.73,9.88,9.88,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,54126080,,Explore/treat finger joint,A,,4.36,6.41,NA,6.41,,0.84,11.61,11.61,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,54226100,,Biopsy hand joint lining,A,,3.70,5.65,NA,5.65,,0.79,10.14,10.14,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,54326105,,Biopsy finger joint lining,A,,3.73,5.66,NA,5.66,,0.80,10.19,10.19,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,54426110,,Biopsy finger joint lining,A,,3.56,5.28,NA,5.28,,0.68,9.52,9.52,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00