No office rate
Both codes concern interphalangeal joint fusion. Code 26862 is the graft-specific choice when autograft is used.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26860 Finger joint fusion Medicare reimbursement rates in Minnesota
Reports surgical fusion of one interphalangeal joint to address painful arthritis, deformity, or instability when a permanent joint fusion is performed. Compare 26860 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 26860 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
$597.26
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 26860: Interphalangeal joint fusion
Reports surgical fusion of one interphalangeal joint to address painful arthritis, deformity, or instability when a permanent joint fusion is performed.
This procedure permanently joins an interphalangeal joint in a finger, with or without internal fixation. Hand surgeons commonly perform it for painful joint destruction, deformity, or instability, such as after arthritis or trauma. The operative work prepares the joint surfaces for fusion and may use fixation to maintain alignment while the bones heal. The code is for an interphalangeal joint, not a knuckle joint or the thumb carpometacarpal joint.
Select the code based on the joint treated and whether autograft is used; the graft-specific code is 26862. The operative report should identify the joint and side, the indication, the fusion technique, fixation, and any graft. This is a major surgery with 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. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26860
- 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 RVU4.76 · 26%
- Practice expense (office) RVU12.49 · 69%
- Malpractice RVU0.91 · 5%
6.2K
Medicare services in 2024 · #1730 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.
26860 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Minnesota, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Code 26860 reports the primary interphalangeal joint fusion; 26861 reports each additional interphalangeal joint in a qualifying case.
No office rate
Code 26850 concerns fusion of a knuckle joint. Code 26860 is for an interphalangeal joint.
No office rate
Code 26841 is for the thumb carpometacarpal joint, not an interphalangeal joint.
Compare 26860 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
$597.26
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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 26860 in Minnesota.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,698
- Code
- 26860
- Physician work
- 4.76
- Practice expense
- 12.49
- Malpractice
- 0.91
GPCI2026.csv
66
- Locality
- Minnesota
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 1.029
- Malpractice
- 0.296
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 4.76 | × 1.000 | 4.7600 |
| Practice expense | 12.49 | × 1.029 | 12.8522 |
| Malpractice | 0.91 | × 0.296 | 0.2694 |
| Total RVUs | 17.8816 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Minnesota$597.26
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 4.76 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 12.49 | 1.029 |
| Malpractice | 0.91 | 0.296 |
(4.76 × 1 + 12.49 × 1.029 + 0.91 × 0.296) × $33.4009 = $597.26
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.
26860 billing questions
When is 26860 used instead of 26862?
Use 26860 for fusion of an interphalangeal joint without autograft. When the fusion includes autograft, compare the documentation with 26862.
Can 26861 be reported with 26860?
Yes. Code 26861 describes each additional interphalangeal joint and is an add-on code for a qualifying additional joint.
Does 26860 include internal fixation?
The code covers interphalangeal joint fusion with or without internal fixation. Document the fixation used in the operative report.
Should modifier 50 be appended for bilateral finger fusions?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code. The operative documentation should specify the joints and sides treated.
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 or co-surgeon be billed for 26860?
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.
2,69526844,,Fusion/graft of hand joint,A,,8.76,14.55,NA,14.55,,1.86,25.17,25.17,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,69626850,,Fusion of knuckle,A,,6.96,12.87,NA,12.87,,1.32,21.15,21.15,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,69726852,,Fusion of knuckle with graft,A,,8.49,13.71,NA,13.71,,1.61,23.81,23.81,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,69826860,,Fusion of finger joint,A,,4.76,12.49,NA,12.49,,0.91,18.16,18.16,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,69926861,,Fusion of finger jnt add-on,A,,1.70,0.56,NA,0.56,,0.34,2.60,2.60,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,70026862,,Fusion/graft of finger joint,A,,7.37,13.32,NA,13.32,,1.39,22.08,22.08,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,70126863,,Fuse/graft added joint,A,,3.79,1.25,NA,1.25,,0.70,5.74,5.74,0,ZZZ,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,0,2,0,0,9,,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