I’m not sure about removing an implant from the hand like in the article but I’ve had the similarly sized/shaped Implanon removed and replaced from my arm several times. It’s just a small incision, a pair of tweezers to pull it out, and a stitch or two to close it back up. The whole procedure takes less than 15 minutes. They could probably do it in five but I’m kind of squeamish so they go slow. They use local anesthetic so you can’t feel the incision but you can still feel the implant coming out and your skin being pulled which grosses me out big time.
Yes, they come in bio glass capsule and do not get attached to the soft tissues (unlike chips used in animals, as I’ve heard), so can be easily removed.