No office rate
Choose 26520 for release at the MCP knuckle. Choose 26525 when the contracted joint is an interphalangeal joint within a finger.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26520 Knuckle release Medicare reimbursement rates in Nebraska
Surgical release of a contracted metacarpophalangeal joint to improve finger motion, reported for each knuckle joint treated. Compare 26520 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Nebraska.
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 26520 in Nebraska?
Nebraska 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
$614.19
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Nebraska
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 26520: Metacarpophalangeal joint contracture release
Surgical release of a contracted metacarpophalangeal joint to improve finger motion, reported for each knuckle joint treated.
This procedure releases a contracted metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint, the knuckle where a finger meets the hand, to improve restricted motion. A hand surgeon may release the tight joint capsule or related soft tissue when contracture limits finger movement, including after injury or prolonged stiffness. The work is typically performed in an operating room or an appropriately equipped surgical setting.
Report one unit for each MCP joint released. The operative note should identify the affected digit and joint, describe the contracture and motion limitation, and document the release performed. 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% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26520
- 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 RVU5.33 · 27%
- Practice expense (office) RVU13.73 · 68%
- Malpractice RVU1.02 · 5%
1.1K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2924 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.
26520 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Nebraska, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
This code addresses an MCP joint in a finger; 26508 is specific to contracture release involving the thumb.
No office rate
26520 releases a contracted MCP joint. Code 26530 describes revision of the MCP joint rather than release of its contracture.
Compare 26520 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
Nebraska →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$614.19
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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 26520 in Nebraska.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,628
- Code
- 26520
- Physician work
- 5.33
- Practice expense
- 13.73
- Malpractice
- 1.02
GPCI2026.csv
72
- Locality
- Nebraska
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.923
- Malpractice
- 0.378
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 5.33 | × 1.000 | 5.3300 |
| Practice expense | 13.73 | × 0.923 | 12.6728 |
| Malpractice | 1.02 | × 0.378 | 0.3856 |
| Total RVUs | 18.3884 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Nebraska$614.19
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 5.33 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 13.73 | 0.923 |
| Malpractice | 1.02 | 0.378 |
(5.33 × 1 + 13.73 × 0.923 + 1.02 × 0.378) × $33.4009 = $614.19
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.
26520 billing questions
When should this code be chosen instead of 26525?
Use 26520 for release of a contracted MCP knuckle joint. Code 26525 is for a contracture release at a finger interphalangeal joint.
How many units should be reported?
Report one unit for each MCP joint released. The operative documentation should identify each treated joint.
Can modifier 50 be used when both hands are treated?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code. Document the joints treated rather than applying modifier 50.
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?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code, and 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.
2,62526516,,Fusion of knuckle joint,A,,7.14,12.97,NA,12.97,,1.37,21.48,21.48,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,62626517,,Fusion of knuckle joints,A,,8.85,14.58,NA,14.58,,1.88,25.31,25.31,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,62726518,,Fusion of knuckle joints,A,,9.04,14.64,NA,14.64,,1.92,25.60,25.60,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,62826520,,Release knuckle contracture,A,,5.33,13.73,NA,13.73,,1.02,20.08,20.08,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,62926525,,Release finger contracture,A,,5.36,13.87,NA,13.87,,1.04,20.27,20.27,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,63026530,,Revise knuckle joint,A,,6.71,7.27,NA,7.27,,1.28,15.26,15.26,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,63126531,,Revise knuckle with implant,A,,7.93,8.19,NA,8.19,,1.49,17.61,17.61,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
6905302,MO,01,METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS,1.000,0.952,1.002
7005302,MO,99,REST OF MISSOURI,1.000,0.862,0.974
7103202,MT,01,MONTANA**,1.000,1.000,0.998
7205402,NE,00,NEBRASKA,1.000,0.923,0.378
7301312,NV,00,NEVADA**,1.000,1.001,0.833
7414312,NH,40,NEW HAMPSHIRE,1.000,1.041,0.875
7512402,NJ,01,NORTHERN NJ,1.063,1.160,1.068