Opening a Joint at the Base of the Hand

Nationwide rates for HCPCS 26070

Opens one of the joints where a finger's long hand bone meets the small bones of the wrist, so the surgeon can look inside, drain infection, or take out a loose fragment or foreign object. It is done through a short incision directly over the joint. It targets that base joint rather than the knuckle or the finger joints further out.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Opening a Joint at the Base of the Hand cost?

$4,303

Typical total for the visit. Nationwide, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $4,303 for this procedure. That total is two separate charges: $501 to the doctor who performs it, and $3,802 to the hospital or surgery center where it takes place. Done somewhere without a facility charge, you pay only the first.

12% physician fee88% facility fee

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 53 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

What's inside this number

Part of the bill	Who charges it	Typical	Range
Physician feeThe doctor who performs it	The doctor who performs it	$501	$372 to $724
Facility feeThe hospital or surgery center	The hospital or surgery center	$3,802	$1,698 to $6,166

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $3,802 · 10th to 90th $550 to $9,333Professionalmedian $501 · 10th to 90th $316 to $1,148

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier	Facility/Professional	Modifier	Typical Low	Median	Typical High
Aetna Setting Facility Modifier Global Typical Low $616.60 Median $3,548.13 Typical High $9,772.37	Facility	Global	$616.60	$3,548.13	$9,772.37
BCBS Setting Facility Modifier Global Typical Low $2,089.30 Median $5,128.61 Typical High $11,220.18	Facility	Global	$2,089.30	$5,128.61	$11,220.18
Cigna Setting Facility Modifier Global Typical Low $537.03 Median $1,023.29 Typical High $2,691.53	Facility	Global	$537.03	$1,023.29	$2,691.53
United Setting Facility Modifier Global Typical Low $933.25 Median $2,691.53 Typical High $6,165.95	Facility	Global	$933.25	$2,691.53	$6,165.95

What it costs in each state

The same service costs 7.4 times more in California than in Maryland. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Touch or drag across it to read any state, then open that state for its carriers and full range.

Physician feeFacility fee

Touch or drag across the chart to see any state's rate.

CA $6,143MD $827

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.