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Opening a Joint at the Base of the Hand

Iowa 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 October 2026.

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

$2,390

Typical total for the visit. In Iowa, October 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $2,390 for this procedure. That total is two separate charges: $692 to the doctor who performs it, and $1,698 to the hospital or surgery center where it takes place. Done somewhere without a facility charge, you pay only the first.

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 7 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

What's inside this number

Part of the billTypicalRange
Physician feeThe doctor who performs it$692$525 to $776
Facility feeThe hospital or surgery center$1,698$891 to $3,467

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $1,698 · 10th to 90th $646 to $5,248Professionalmedian $692 · 10th to 90th $355 to $1,023
$500$1K$2K$5K$10Kfacility $1,698professional $692

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$602.56
Median
$3,548.13
Typical High
$6,760.83
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$302.00
Median
$524.81
Typical High
$794.33
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$954.99
Median
$1,445.44
Typical High
$1,698.24
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$616.60
Median
$758.58
Typical High
$912.01
Hally Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$302.00
Median
$457.09
Typical High
$776.25
Medica
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$524.81
Median
$1,174.90
Typical High
$4,897.79
Medica
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$354.81
Median
$724.44
Typical High
$3,388.44
Midlands
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$645.65
Median
$724.44
Typical High
$870.96
Midlands
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$954.99
Median
$1,412.54
Typical High
$1,698.24
Midlands
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$588.84
Median
$758.58
Typical High
$1,000.00
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$724.44
Median
$2,884.03
Typical High
$5,495.41
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$316.23
Median
$489.78
Typical High
$870.96
Wellmark
Setting
Professional
Modifier
None
Typical Low
$645.65
Median
$645.65
Typical High
$776.25
6 more rates with less common billing modifiers

A modifier changes what was billed, for example a reduced or repeated service. Each of these modifiers carries under 10% of the published rates for this code. Modifier combinations, and modifiers with fewer than 30 rates for a carrier, are not listed.

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
52 · Reduced service
Typical Low
$151.36
Median
$257.04
Typical High
$257.04
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
53 · Discontinued
Typical Low
$60.26
Median
$104.71
Typical High
$104.71
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
54 · Surgery only
Typical Low
$229.09
Median
$389.05
Typical High
$389.05
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
55 · Aftercare only
Typical Low
$45.71
Median
$77.62
Typical High
$77.62
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
56 · Pre-op care only
Typical Low
$30.20
Median
$52.48
Typical High
$52.48
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
78 · Unplanned return to OR
Typical Low
$213.80
Median
$363.08
Typical High
$363.08

Where Iowa sits

The same service costs 4.6 times more in Colorado than in Montana. 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

Iowa· 15th of 51

$2,390

$692 physician + $1,698 facility

CO $4,822MT $1,050

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.