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26546 Repair nonunion hand

What 26546 is

CMS fee schedule short descriptor: Repair nonunion hand.

Full CPT long descriptions are licensed by the American Medical Association and are not published on this site; the short descriptor above is the one CMS prints in its own fee schedule file. See About CPT.

Medicare payment for 26546 (CY2026)

Work RVUPractice expense RVUMalpractice RVUTotalMedicare rate
Non-facility (office)10.5617.162.0229.74$993.34
Facility (hospital, ASC)10.5617.162.0229.74$993.34

National rates: total RVUs x the CY2026 conversion factor of 33.4009 (non-QP), before geographic adjustment. Actual Medicare payment is 80% of the rate shown after the deductible; the patient or secondary payer owes the 20% coinsurance.


Status: Active - payable under the Physician Fee Schedule. Global period: 90-day global period.

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Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE)

Medicare caps 26546 at 2 units per date of service for practitioner claims (MAI 3 - date of service edit (clinical): units above the MUE may pay with documentation on appeal), rationale: Clinical: Data. Units above the cap are denied unless the edit's adjudication rules allow an appeal with documentation.

Billed with 26546? These codes are bundled into it

26546 is a Column 1 code in 327 active NCCI PTP edits. When one of these Column 2 codes is reported on the same date of service, it is denied as bundled - unless the edit's modifier indicator is 1 and documentation supports a distinct service with an NCCI-associated modifier.

Column 2 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
01810Anes px nrv musc f/arm wrst0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
0213TNjx paravert w/us cer/thor0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
0216TNjx paravert w/us lumb/sac0 - no modifier bypassCheck pair
0490TRegn cell tx scldr h mlt inj1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0587TPerq impltj/rplcmt isdns ptn1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0588TRevision/removal isdns ptn1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0594TOsteot hum xtrnl lngth dev1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0596TTemp fml iu vlv-pmp 1st insj1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0597TTemp fml iu valve-pmp rplcmt1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0708TId ca immntx prep & 1st njx1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0709TId ca immntx each addl njx1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0718TAdrc ther prtl rc tear njx1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0903TEcg alg 12 lead reduced i&r1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0904TEcg alg 12 ld rdcd trcg only1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
0905TEcg alg 12 ld rdcd i&r only1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11900Inject skin lesions </w 71 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
11901Inject skin lesions >71 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12001Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trnk 2.5cm/<1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12002Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trnk2.6-7.5cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12004Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trk7.6-12.5cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12005Rpr s/n/a/gen/trk12.6-20.0cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12006Rpr s/n/a/gen/trk20.1-30.0cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12007Rpr s/n/ax/gen/trnk >30.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12011Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 2.5 cm/<1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12013Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 2.6-5.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12014Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 5.1-7.5 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12015Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m 7.6-12.5 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12016Rpr fe/e/en/l/m 12.6-20.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12017Rpr fe/e/en/l/m 20.1-30.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair
12018Rpr f/e/e/n/l/m >30.0 cm1 - modifier may bypassCheck pair

Showing 30 of 327 column 2 codes. Use the pair checker for any specific combination.

26546 is bundled into these codes

26546 appears as a Column 2 code in 59 active edits. Reported with one of these Column 1 codes on the same date of service, 26546 is the code that denies.

Column 1 codeShort descriptionModifier indicator
11010Debride skin at fx site1Check pair
26123Release palm contracture1Check pair
26250Extensive hand surgery1Check pair
26260Resect prox finger tumor1Check pair
26262Resect distal finger tumor1Check pair
26350Repair finger/hand tendon1Check pair
26352Repair/graft hand tendon1Check pair
26356Repair finger/hand tendon1Check pair
26357Repair finger/hand tendon1Check pair
26437Realignment of tendons1Check pair
26440Release palm/finger tendon1Check pair
26442Release palm & finger tendon1Check pair
26445Release hand/finger tendon1Check pair
26449Release forearm/hand tendon1Check pair
26450Incision of palm tendon1Check pair

Data: CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule RVU file (October release, RVU26D) and Medicare NCCI PTP practitioner edits v32.3 (2026 Q4). Verify against the official files before billing or contracting decisions.