No office rate
26100 is for sampling hand-joint lining for diagnosis. Choose 26130 when the surgeon removes wrist synovium therapeutically.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26130 Wrist synovectomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Surgical removal of inflamed synovial tissue from the wrist joint, reported for persistent proliferative synovitis such as disease-related wrist inflammation. Compare 26130 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Minnesota.
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 26130 in Minnesota?
Minnesota 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
$437.97
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Minnesota
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.
Orthopedic surgery
About 26130: Wrist joint synovectomy
Surgical removal of inflamed synovial tissue from the wrist joint, reported for persistent proliferative synovitis such as disease-related wrist inflammation.
This operation removes diseased or overgrown synovial tissue from the wrist joint. It is commonly performed by an orthopedic or hand surgeon for persistent synovitis, including wrist inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis. The target is the joint lining, not a tendon sheath or a discrete skin, soft-tissue, or bone mass. It is generally performed in an operating-room setting when ongoing joint inflammation warrants surgical treatment.
Report the service when the operative documentation supports removal of wrist-joint synovium, with the affected side, indication, and extent of treatment stated. A sample taken only to establish a diagnosis is a different service from therapeutic synovium removal. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. In a same-session multiple-procedure claim, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is statutorily restricted; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26130
- 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
- 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 RVU5.45 · 40%
- Practice expense (office) RVU7.11 · 52%
- Malpractice RVU1.17 · 9%
122
Medicare services in 2024 · #4723 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.
26130 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
26145 addresses flexor tendon-sheath disease in the palm or finger; 26130 targets the wrist joint lining.
$657.21
26160 is for excision of a discrete tendon-sheath or joint-capsule lesion. 26130 is for synovial tissue removal from the wrist joint.
Compare 26130 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
Minnesota →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$437.97
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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 26130 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,554
- Code
- 26130
- Physician work
- 5.45
- Practice expense
- 7.11
- Malpractice
- 1.17
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 5.45 | × 1.000 | 5.4500 |
| Practice expense | 7.11 | × 1.029 | 7.3162 |
| Malpractice | 1.17 | × 0.296 | 0.3463 |
| Total RVUs | 13.1125 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Minnesota$437.97
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.45 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 7.11 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 1.17 | 0.296 |
(5.45 × 1 + 7.11 × 1.029 + 1.17 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $437.97
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.
26130 billing questions
When is 26130 appropriate instead of a joint biopsy code?
Use 26130 when the surgeon removes wrist-joint synovium as treatment. A procedure limited to obtaining tissue for diagnosis is represented by a biopsy service, such as 26100 for a hand joint.
Does this code describe tendon-sheath synovium?
No. It describes synovial tissue in the wrist joint. For flexor tendon-sheath work in the palm or finger, consider 26145 when its requirements are met.
How should bilateral wrist procedures be reported?
When the service is performed on both wrists, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
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?
CMS applies a statutory restriction to assistant-at-surgery payment for this service. 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.
2,55126121,,Release palm contracture,A,,7.54,7.84,NA,7.84,,1.44,16.82,16.82,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,55226123,,Release palm contracture,A,,10.61,10.76,NA,10.76,,2.02,23.39,23.39,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,55326125,,Release palm contracture,A,,4.49,1.48,NA,1.48,,0.86,6.83,6.83,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,55426130,,Remove wrist joint lining,A,,5.45,7.11,NA,7.11,,1.17,13.73,13.73,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,55526135,,Revise finger joint each,A,,6.95,7.28,NA,7.28,,1.32,15.55,15.55,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,55626140,,Revise finger joint each,A,,6.18,7.02,NA,7.02,,1.19,14.39,14.39,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,55726145,,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
6314212,MA,99,REST OF MASSACHUSETTS,1.016,1.053,0.797
6408202,MI,01,DETROIT,1.000,0.965,1.686
6508202,MI,99,REST OF MICHIGAN,1.000,0.913,1.129
6606202,MN,00,MINNESOTA,1.000,1.029,0.296
6707302,MS,00,MISSISSIPPI,1.000,0.861,0.739
6805302,MO,02,METROPOLITAN KANSAS CITY,1.000,0.939,0.977
6905302,MO,01,METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.952,1.002