No office rate
Both concern flexor tendon excision, but 26170 is for a tendon in the palm; this code is for a tendon within a finger.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26180 Tendon excision Medicare reimbursement rates in Maine
Reports surgical removal of a flexor tendon in a finger when the tendon itself is excised, rather than released, freed, or treated through its sheath. Compare 26180 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 26180 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
$400.70–$416.87
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 26180: Finger flexor tendon excision
Reports surgical removal of a flexor tendon in a finger when the tendon itself is excised, rather than released, freed, or treated through its sheath.
A hand surgeon removes a flexor tendon within a finger when the tendon itself is the operative target. The procedure may be performed in a hospital or ambulatory surgery setting for a damaged or diseased tendon that requires excision. The operative report should identify the digit and tendon, describe the condition prompting surgery, and document that tendon tissue was removed.
Report the service for each tendon excised in the finger; removal of tendon sheath tissue alone, release of a constricting sheath, or freeing an adherent tendon describes a different service. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26180
- 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 RVU5.22 · 40%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.69 · 52%
- Malpractice RVU1.00 · 8%
2K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2443 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.
26180 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Maine, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
26145 treats the flexor tendon sheath through synovectomy. This code removes the finger flexor tendon itself.
$581.56–$617.88
26055 releases a constricting sheath, commonly for trigger finger. Use this code when the finger flexor tendon itself is excised.
No office rate
26440 frees an adherent flexor tendon while preserving it; this code describes removal of the tendon.
Compare 26180 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
$400.70
Southern Maine →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$416.87
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26180 billing questions
How does this differ from flexor tendon sheath surgery?
This code is for removal of the finger flexor tendon itself. Sheath removal or synovectomy is a different service when the tendon is not excised.
Is this the code for trigger finger release?
No. Trigger finger release opens the constricting flexor tendon sheath; it does not describe excision of the finger flexor tendon.
How should units be supported?
Document each tendon removed and the finger involved. The code is described per tendon, so the operative record should support the reported count.
Are related postoperative visits separately reported?
Related postoperative care during the 90-day global period is included, as is the day-before preoperative visit.
Can modifier 50 be used when both hands are treated?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; modifier 50 should not be used.
When is an assistant at surgery payable?
Medicare pays for an assistant at surgery only when documentation establishes medical necessity. 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.
2,55726145,,Tendon excision palm/finger,A,,6.33,7.04,NA,7.04,,1.21,14.58,14.58,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,55826160,,Remove tendon sheath lesion,A,,3.48,15.55,,5.10,,0.66,19.69,9.24,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,55926170,,Removal of palm tendon each,A,,4.79,6.02,NA,6.02,,0.92,11.73,11.73,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,56026180,,Removal of finger tendon,A,,5.22,6.69,NA,6.69,,1.00,12.91,12.91,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,56126185,,Remove finger bone,A,,6.36,8.69,NA,8.69,,1.34,16.39,16.39,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,56226200,,Remove hand bone lesion,A,,5.51,6.26,NA,6.26,,1.08,12.85,12.85,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,56326205,,Remove/graft bone lesion,A,,7.73,7.88,NA,7.88,,1.64,17.25,17.25,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00