CPT code 01820: Wrist and hand bone anesthesia, closed bone procedures2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Maryland
Anesthesia for closed procedures on radius, ulna, wrist, or hand bones, such as closed fracture reduction, when the operative approach is not arthroscopic.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 01820 in Maryland.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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On this page 9 sections
What 01820 covers
This code covers anesthesia for closed procedures involving the radius, ulna, wrist, or hand bones, commonly closed reduction of a fracture. An anesthesiologist or CRNA reports the anesthesia service for these procedures in a hospital or other operative setting. The operative approach—not simply the fact that the patient has a wrist or hand condition—determines whether this code fits.
Use this code for a closed bone procedure rather than anesthesia for soft-tissue work, wrist arthroscopy, or casting alone. The operative report should identify the treated bone and establish that the procedure was closed; the anesthesia record supports the anesthesia service and its time. This code has 3 base units; Medicare payment is (base units + time units) multiplied by the locality’s anesthesia conversion factor. Anesthesia time starts when the practitioner begins preparing the patient for anesthesia and ends when the practitioner is no longer in personal attendance and the patient can safely be placed under postoperative care; minutes are converted to 15-minute units to one decimal place.
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.
Where 01820 pays more and less in Maryland
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore area, MD | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Rest of Maryland | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Washington, DC area | Unavailable | Unavailable |
How the 01820 rate is calculated
Each of 01820’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 01820
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.0000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$0.00
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 01820
01820 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.
Place of service · 01820
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
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01820 isn’t priced in this setting.
01820 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 01810Forearm and hand anesthesiaNerve, muscle, tendon
- 01810 covers procedures on forearm, wrist, or hand nerves and soft tissues. Choose 01820 when the closed procedure is on the radius, ulna, wrist, or hand bones.
- 01829Wrist arthroscopy anesthesiaDiagnostic procedure
- 01829 is for diagnostic wrist arthroscopy. A closed procedure on wrist or hand bones is reported with 01820 instead.
- 01860Cast anesthesiaForearm, wrist, or hand
- 01860 identifies anesthesia for casting of the forearm, wrist, or hand; 01820 is for a closed procedure on the bones in those regions.
01820 billing questions
How does this code differ from wrist arthroscopy anesthesia?
Use this code for a closed procedure on radius, ulna, wrist, or hand bones. Anesthesia for wrist or hand arthroscopic or endoscopic work belongs under the applicable arthroscopy code, such as 01829 for diagnostic wrist arthroscopy.
Does a closed reduction of a wrist fracture fit this code?
Yes, when the procedure is a closed bone procedure involving the radius, ulna, wrist, or hand. The operative record should establish the bone treated and the closed approach.
Does anesthesia for casting alone belong here?
No. Anesthesia for forearm, wrist, or hand casting is identified separately by code 01860.
How are anesthesia units calculated for this code?
The code has 3 base units. Medicare adds time units, calculated from anesthesia minutes in 15-minute units to one decimal place, then multiplies the total by the locality’s anesthesia conversion factor.
What should the operative and anesthesia records support?
The operative report should show the specific bone or region treated and that the procedure was closed. The anesthesia record should support the reported anesthesia time, from preparation for anesthesia through the point the practitioner is no longer personally attending and the patient can safely enter postoperative care.
How does Medicare pay when an anesthesiologist medically directs a CRNA?
Medicare pays each practitioner 50% of the allowance for the personally performed service when the anesthesiologist medically directs the CRNA.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
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