Billing code 26432: Tendon repairMedicare rate & RVUs in Ohio
Reports surgical repair of an extensor tendon where it attaches at a finger’s distal end, including repair for a mallet finger injury.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 26432 in Ohio.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 26432 covers
This service repairs an extensor tendon at its distal finger attachment, restoring the tendon’s connection near the distal phalanx. A hand surgeon commonly performs it for a mallet finger injury when surgical repair is indicated. The work may take place in an operating room or an ambulatory surgery setting; the operative report should identify the affected finger, the distal insertion site, and the repair performed.
Select this code when the repair is at the distal insertion and does not use a free graft. Distinguish it from other finger extensor tendon repairs by documenting the repair location and from the grafted counterpart by documenting whether a free graft was used. CMS 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 others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate; assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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.
26432 in Ohio
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | Unavailable | $509.85 |
How the 26432 rate is calculated
Each of 26432’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 26432
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
Work 4.06Practice expense 11.40Malpractice 0.79
All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 26432
26432 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 26432
Tendon repair
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 26432
Tendon repair
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
26432 without 51 · national facility
$542.76
Tendon repair
26432-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$271.38
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
26432 compared with similar codes
Compare codes
26432 vs 26433 vs 26418 vs 26420 vs 26410: national Medicare rates
Swap in your local Medicare rate.
How to choose
- 26433Tendon repair
- Both address repair at the distal finger extensor tendon insertion. The grafted counterpart applies when the repair uses a free graft.
- 26418Finger tendon repair
- This code is for a finger extensor tendon repair without a free graft away from the distal insertion; 26432 specifies the distal attachment.
- 26420Tendon repair
- This code describes a grafted finger extensor tendon repair at a site other than the distal insertion. For a distal insertion repair, distinguish by graft use and site.
- 26410Hand tendon repair
- This code concerns extensor tendon repair in the hand rather than repair at a finger’s distal tendon insertion.
26432 billing questions
When is this code a better fit than a general finger extensor tendon repair code?
Use it when the operative report identifies repair at the tendon’s distal insertion on the finger, as in a surgically treated mallet finger. A repair at another finger tendon site may call for a different code.
How does the grafted counterpart differ?
The key distinction is whether the distal insertion repair uses a free tendon graft. Report this code for repair without a free graft; use the grafted counterpart when a free graft is used.
What documentation supports reporting this service?
Document the injured finger, the distal tendon attachment being repaired, the operative repair, and whether a free graft was used. The diagnosis and operative findings should support why surgical repair was performed.
Can modifier 50 be used when both hands or fingers are involved?
CMS bilateral adjustment does not apply to this code, and modifier 50 is inappropriate. Identify the treated finger or fingers in the claim documentation.
What postoperative care is included in the global period?
The 90-day global includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. CMS also applies the standard multiple procedure reduction when other procedures are performed in the same session.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
CMS 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 indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
Fee sheets
Put 26432 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →