No office rate
This code is for changing tendon length. Code 25260 is used for primary repair of a forearm or wrist flexor tendon or muscle.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
25280 Tendon adjustment Medicare reimbursement rates in Michigan
Reports operative lengthening or shortening of a flexor or extensor tendon at the forearm or wrist to adjust tendon length or function. Compare 25280 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Michigan.
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 25280 in Michigan?
Michigan 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
$517.21–$556.16
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.
Orthopedic surgery
About 25280: Forearm or wrist tendon lengthening or shortening
Reports operative lengthening or shortening of a flexor or extensor tendon at the forearm or wrist to adjust tendon length or function.
The surgeon surgically changes the length of a flexor or extensor tendon in the forearm or wrist. This may be performed to address a tendon-length imbalance or contracture affecting wrist or hand movement. Orthopedic and hand surgeons typically perform the procedure in an operating room, with the operative report identifying the tendon and describing the adjustment made.
Report the service for each tendon lengthened or shortened; documentation should distinguish this work from tendon repair, cutting a tendon, or freeing adhesions. This major surgery has a 90-day 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 others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is not appropriate. Assistant-at-surgery and co-surgeon payment require supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 25280
- 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 paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU7.21 · 45%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.32 · 46%
- Malpractice RVU1.41 · 9%
2.3K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2373 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.
25280 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Michigan, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
This code adjusts tendon length; 25270 is for primary repair of a forearm or wrist extensor tendon or muscle.
No office rate
Use 25290 for open division of a tendon. Use this code when the surgeon lengthens or shortens the tendon instead.
No office rate
Code 25295 is for freeing adhesions that restrict tendon movement. This code describes surgical lengthening or shortening.
Compare 25280 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
Detroit →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$556.16
Rest Of Michigan →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$517.21
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25280 billing questions
When should this code be chosen instead of a tendon repair code?
Use this code when the surgeon changes the length of a forearm or wrist flexor or extensor tendon. Choose a repair code when the operative service repairs a tendon rather than adjusting its length.
How many units should be reported?
The service is reported for each tendon treated. The operative note should identify each tendon and document whether it was lengthened or shortened.
Is modifier 50 appropriate when both sides are treated?
No. The CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures in the same session are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is 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.
2,42225272,,Repair forearm tendon/muscle,A,,7.03,7.53,NA,7.53,,1.48,16.04,16.04,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,42325274,,Repair forearm tendon/muscle,A,,8.72,8.08,NA,8.08,,1.64,18.44,18.44,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,42425275,,Repair forearm tendon sheath,A,,8.74,8.28,NA,8.28,,1.66,18.68,18.68,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,42525280,,Revise wrist/forearm tendon,A,,7.21,7.32,NA,7.32,,1.41,15.94,15.94,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,42625290,,Incise wrist/forearm tendon,A,,5.29,6.11,NA,6.11,,1.01,12.41,12.41,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,42725295,,Release wrist/forearm tendon,A,,6.55,7.07,NA,7.07,,1.26,14.88,14.88,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,42825300,,Fusion of tendons at wrist,A,,8.79,8.99,NA,8.99,,1.87,19.65,19.65,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00