No office rate
Choose 26460 when the extensor tendon is intentionally divided. Choose 26445 when adhesions are released to restore tendon glide without dividing the tendon.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26460 Extensor tenotomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Surgical division of a hand or finger extensor tendon to address contracture or tendon imbalance, reported for each tendon treated. Compare 26460 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 26460 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
$442.29
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.
Hand surgery
About 26460: Hand or finger extensor tenotomy
Surgical division of a hand or finger extensor tendon to address contracture or tendon imbalance, reported for each tendon treated.
This procedure surgically divides an extensor tendon in the hand or a finger to change tendon tension or correct an extensor mechanism contracture or imbalance. It is typically performed by a hand, orthopedic, or plastic surgeon in an operating room or other surgical setting. The operative record should identify the tendon and site and explain the functional problem the division is intended to address.
Report the code for each tendon treated, distinguishing this operation from freeing adhesions or repairing a disrupted tendon. The record should support the specific tendon division and the clinical indication. Medicare assigns 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 other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26460
- 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 RVU3.49 · 26%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.29 · 69%
- Malpractice RVU0.65 · 5%
524
Medicare services in 2024 · #3515 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.
26460 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
26450 concerns a palm flexor tendon; 26460 concerns an extensor tendon in the hand or finger.
No office rate
26455 concerns a finger flexor tendon. 26460 is for an extensor tendon in the hand or finger.
No office rate
26426 is a tendon repair code. Use 26460 when the intended operation is division of an extensor tendon, not repair of a disrupted tendon.
Compare 26460 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
$442.29
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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 26460 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,603
- Code
- 26460
- Physician work
- 3.49
- Practice expense
- 9.29
- Malpractice
- 0.65
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 3.49 | × 1.000 | 3.4900 |
| Practice expense | 9.29 | × 1.029 | 9.5594 |
| Malpractice | 0.65 | × 0.296 | 0.1924 |
| Total RVUs | 13.2418 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Minnesota$442.29
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 3.49 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 9.29 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 0.65 | 0.296 |
(3.49 × 1 + 9.29 × 1.029 + 0.65 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $442.29
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.
26460 billing questions
How is 26460 different from extensor tenolysis?
26460 involves intentionally dividing an extensor tendon. Use extensor tenolysis when the procedure frees adhesions restricting tendon glide rather than dividing the tendon.
How does this differ from 26450 or 26455?
26460 is for an extensor tendon. Codes 26450 and 26455 concern flexor tendon tenotomy in the palm and finger, respectively.
How many units should be reported?
The code is reported for each tendon treated. Document each tendon and its hand or finger location in the operative report.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Identify the extensor tendon divided, the anatomical site, the functional problem, and the operative work performed. The record should make clear that the tendon was divided rather than merely freed or repaired.
Can an assistant 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.
2,60026449,,Release forearm/hand tendon,A,,8.38,9.84,NA,9.84,,1.56,19.78,19.78,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,60126450,,Incision of palm tendon,A,,3.70,9.35,NA,9.35,,0.69,13.74,13.74,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,60226455,,Incision of finger tendon,A,,3.67,9.38,NA,9.38,,0.69,13.74,13.74,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,60326460,,Incise hand/finger tendon,A,,3.49,9.29,NA,9.29,,0.65,13.43,13.43,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,60426471,,Fusion of finger tendons,A,,5.75,12.45,NA,12.45,,1.07,19.27,19.27,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,60526474,,Fusion of finger tendons,A,,5.35,13.12,NA,13.12,,1.14,19.61,19.61,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,60626476,,Tendon lengthening,A,,5.22,13.07,NA,13.07,,1.12,19.41,19.41,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
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