No office rate
Both describe palmar tendon transfer work. Choose 26485 when the transfer is performed without a free graft; 26489 is the graft-related sibling.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
26485 Tendon transfer Medicare reimbursement rates in Virginia
Reports relocation of a tendon within the palm to improve hand function when the surgeon performs the transfer without using a free tendon graft. Compare 26485 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 26485 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
$784.01–$915.56
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 26485: Palmar tendon transfer without graft
Reports relocation of a tendon within the palm to improve hand function when the surgeon performs the transfer without using a free tendon graft.
A hand surgeon relocates a tendon in the palm and secures it to a new site to restore or improve movement. This approach may be used when injury or nerve-related weakness has impaired hand function and a functioning tendon can be redirected to help perform the needed motion. The operative report should identify the tendons involved and describe the transfer and fixation.
Report the code for each qualifying tendon transferred in the palm without a free graft. Distinguish this work from a palmar transfer that uses a free graft and from transfers at other hand sites. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included. 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 for this code. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 26485
- 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
- Assistant at surgery may be paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU7.69 · 32%
- Practice expense (office) RVU15.00 · 62%
- Malpractice RVU1.47 · 6%
569
Medicare services in 2024 · #3444 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.
26485 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Virginia, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
This code is for a transfer in the palm. Code 26480 addresses the carpometacarpal area or dorsum of the hand.
No office rate
Code 26483 is the related hand tendon transfer or graft option. Use the operative site and whether a free graft was used to distinguish it from a palmar transfer without graft.
Compare 26485 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
$915.56
Virginia →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$784.01
Need rates for a whole code list?
Fee-sheet and API access are in early access. Tell us which codes and locations your team needs.
26485 billing questions
How is this code distinguished from 26489?
This code describes a palmar tendon transfer without a free graft. Code 26489 is the related palmar transfer code for work involving a free graft.
What documentation supports reporting the transfer?
Document the palm location, the tendon transferred, the new attachment site, and the transfer and fixation performed. The record should make clear whether a free graft was used.
How many units are reported when more than one tendon is transferred?
The code is reported per tendon. The operative note should identify each tendon transferred in the palm without a free graft.
Should modifier 50 be used for transfers on both hands?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; modifier 50 is not appropriate.
How does the 90-day global period affect postoperative visits?
The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the global period.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeons are paid only when supporting documentation is provided; 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 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.
2,60926479,,Shortening of hand tendon,A,,5.76,13.25,NA,13.25,,1.23,20.24,20.24,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,61026480,,Transplant hand tendon,A,,8.78,9.56,NA,9.56,,1.66,20.00,20.00,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,61126483,,Transplant/graft hand tendon,A,,8.27,15.16,NA,15.16,,1.57,25.00,25.00,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,61226485,,Transplant palm tendon,A,,7.69,15.00,NA,15.00,,1.47,24.16,24.16,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,61326489,,Transplant/graft palm tendon,A,,9.61,16.50,NA,16.50,,2.05,28.16,28.16,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,61426490,,Revise thumb tendon,A,,8.39,14.43,NA,14.43,,1.77,24.59,24.59,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,61526492,,Tendon transfer with graft,A,,9.59,15.38,NA,15.38,,2.05,27.02,27.02,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,0,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00