$367.01–$434.83
26010 is for drainage of a finger abscess in soft tissue. Use 26034 when the documented procedure includes opening the bone cortex.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26034 Bone lesion surgery Medicare reimbursement rates in Virginia
Reports surgical opening of a metacarpal or phalangeal cortex, typically to reach and drain a bone abscess or treat infection in the hand. Compare 26034 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 26034 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
$509.13–$590.21
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 26034: Hand or finger bone cortex incision
Reports surgical opening of a metacarpal or phalangeal cortex, typically to reach and drain a bone abscess or treat infection in the hand.
The surgeon opens the outer layer of a metacarpal or finger bone to access a bone infection or abscess. A hand or orthopedic surgeon may perform the operation in a hospital or ambulatory surgery center. The operative report should identify the bone and site, the reason for surgery, and the work done at the bone; drainage of a finger abscess or treatment of a joint is a different service.
Report the code for the cortical bone work, not merely for a nearby soft-tissue incision. Documentation should support the diagnosis and describe the bone access and treatment performed. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur 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 26034
- 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 RVU6.46 · 41%
- Practice expense (office) RVU8.03 · 51%
- Malpractice RVU1.26 · 8%
466
Medicare services in 2024 · #3622 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.
26034 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Virginia, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
26200 addresses excision or curettage of a metacarpal bone cyst or benign tumor. This code describes cortical access for a different bone problem, such as infection.
No office rate
26035 is for decompression of the hand or fingers, not access to a metacarpal or phalangeal bone lesion.
Compare 26034 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
$590.21
Virginia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$509.13
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26034 billing questions
How is this different from draining a finger abscess?
This code is for work that opens the cortex of a metacarpal or phalangeal bone. A soft-tissue finger abscess without that bone work is not reported with this code.
Is modifier 50 appropriate for bilateral treatment?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inapplicable and modifier 50 as inappropriate for this code.
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. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
How does the multiple-procedure rule affect payment?
For procedures performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction.
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.
2,52926020,,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
2,53526040,,Release palm contracture,A,,3.37,5.25,NA,5.25,,0.62,9.24,9.24,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00