Billing code 25274: Tendon repairMedicare rate & RVUs in Oklahoma
Reports secondary reconstruction of a forearm or wrist extensor tendon using a free graft when direct tendon repair is not the selected approach.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 25274 in Oklahoma.
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 25274 covers
A hand or orthopedic surgeon uses this service to restore continuity of an extensor tendon in the forearm or wrist when secondary repair requires a free tendon graft. It may be chosen for a chronic tendon defect or a gap that cannot be managed by direct approximation. The graft is included in the service, including obtaining it, and the code is reported for each tendon treated.
Documentation should identify the extensor tendon, its forearm or wrist location, the secondary nature of the repair, and use of a free graft. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires medical-necessity documentation; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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.
25274 in Oklahoma
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | Unavailable | $574.82 |
How the 25274 rate is calculated
Each of 25274’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 · 25274
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work8.72
8.72 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense8.08
8.08 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.64
1.64 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
18.4400
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$615.91
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 25274
25274 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 25274
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) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| 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 · 25274
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
25274 without 51 · national facility
$615.91
Tendon repair
25274-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$307.96
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%).
25274 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 25272Tendon repair
- Both describe secondary extensor tendon repair in the forearm or wrist. Choose 25274 when a free graft is used; choose 25272 when repair is performed without one.
- 25270Extensor tendon repair
- 25270 describes primary extensor tendon repair. This code is for secondary repair using a free graft.
- 25265Flexor tendon repair
- 25265 is the corresponding secondary free-graft repair for a flexor tendon. This code applies to an extensor tendon.
25274 billing questions
When should this code be chosen over 25272?
Use this code when the secondary extensor tendon repair uses a free graft. Code 25272 describes secondary repair without a free graft.
Does the code include obtaining the graft?
Yes. Graft acquisition is included in the service, so it is not separately reported as a distinct graft-harvesting service for this repair.
How are units counted?
Report one unit for each extensor tendon repaired with a free graft. The operative note should identify each tendon treated.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral repairs?
No. CMS identifies modifier 50 as inappropriate for this code. Report the services according to the documented procedures and applicable claim rules.
What documentation supports assistant or co-surgeon payment?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is 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
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