No office rate
Both concern palmar bursa drainage, but 26030 represents the complicated service. Use 26025 when the drainage is not documented as complicated.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26030 Palm bursa drainage Medicare reimbursement rates in Virginia
Reports operative drainage of a complicated palmar bursa, typically for a substantial or complex infection requiring more than straightforward bursal drainage. Compare 26030 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Virginia.
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 26030 in Virginia?
Virginia has 2 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 2 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
Facility setting
$450.47–$521.07
2 of 2 localities have a supported rate.
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 26030: Complicated palmar bursa drainage
Reports operative drainage of a complicated palmar bursa, typically for a substantial or complex infection requiring more than straightforward bursal drainage.
A hand surgeon drains an infected palmar bursa through an operative approach, evacuating its contents and managing the involved bursal space. This procedure is distinct from draining a localized finger abscess or opening a hand tendon sheath. It is generally performed in an operating-room setting; CMS data show facility claims for this service.
Select this code when the operative report supports complicated palmar bursa drainage rather than the simpler service in the same family. Document the involved bursa, infection findings, extent of the procedure, and work performed to support the complexity. CMS assigns a 90-day major-surgery global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26030
- 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 procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
- Assistant at surgery
- Assistant at surgery is paid only with documentation of medical necessity.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU6.09 · 44%
- Practice expense (office) RVU6.67 · 48%
- Malpractice RVU1.19 · 9%
143
Medicare services in 2024 · #4601 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.
26030 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Virginia, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
26020 addresses drainage of a hand or finger tendon sheath; 26030 targets a palmar bursa. Choose by the anatomic space treated.
$505.52–$599.12
26011 is for a complicated abscess of a finger. 26030 is for complicated drainage of a palmar bursa.
Compare 26030 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.
2 of 2 payment localities
Dc + Md/Va Suburbs →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$521.07
Virginia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$450.47
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26030 billing questions
How does this differ from 26025?
26030 is for complicated palmar bursa drainage; 26025 is the less complex sibling service. The operative note should substantiate the additional complexity.
What documentation supports the complicated service?
Identify the palmar bursa and describe the infection, extent of involvement, and drainage work performed. The record should make clear why the procedure was complicated rather than straightforward.
Should this be used for an infected tendon sheath?
No. A hand tendon-sheath infection is a different anatomic target; consider 26020 when the procedure drains a tendon sheath rather than a palmar bursa.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral drainage?
CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure: modifier 50 is paid at 150%. The operative documentation should establish treatment of both sides.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
Under the standard multiple-procedure rule, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%.
Can an assistant surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment is available only when medical necessity is documented. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.
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.
2,52826011,,Drainage of finger abscess,A,,2.18,12.87,,2.85,,0.43,15.48,5.46,0,010,0.10,0.80,0.10,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,52926020,,Drain hand tendon sheath,A,,6.67,7.95,NA,7.95,,1.31,15.93,15.93,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,53026025,,Drainage of palm bursa,A,,4.95,6.17,NA,6.17,,0.99,12.11,12.11,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,53126030,,Drainage of palm bursas,A,,6.09,6.67,NA,6.67,,1.19,13.95,13.95,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,53226034,,Treat hand bone lesion,A,,6.46,8.03,NA,8.03,,1.26,15.75,15.75,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,53326035,,Decompress fingers/hand,A,,11.09,10.96,NA,10.96,,2.36,24.41,24.41,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,53426037,,Decompress fingers/hand,A,,7.38,6.96,NA,6.96,,1.44,15.78,15.78,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00