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CPT code 25170: Bone tumor resection, radius or ulna2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports radical resection of a tumor involving the radius or ulna, typically when an oncologic operation removes the tumor-bearing portion of forearm bone.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities16 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,329.69 for 25170 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 25170

Bone tumor resection, radius or ulna

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
21.65
Total RVUs
39.81
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,329.69

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 25170 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 25170 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 25170 covers

An orthopedic surgeon, often an orthopedic oncologist, performs this operation to remove a tumor involving the radius or ulna as a radical bone resection. It is generally performed in an operating room, with the resected bone or tumor tissue sent for examination. The operative extent distinguishes it from limited lesion removal or curettage.

Report the code when the documented procedure supports radical resection of a radius or ulna tumor; the operative report should identify the bone and describe the resection performed. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team-surgery payment is not permitted.

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 25170 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

25170 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,206.29
AlaskaUnavailable$1,651.54
ArizonaUnavailable$1,293.49
ArkansasUnavailable$1,191.20
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$1,370.05
Austin, TXUnavailable$1,339.83
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$1,326.67
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$1,410.79
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$1,278.02
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$1,297.53

25170 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
25170 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 25170 rate is calculated

Each of 25170’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 · 25170

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work21.65

21.65 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense13.55

13.55 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice4.61

4.61 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

39.8100

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,329.69

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 25170

25170 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 25170

Bone tumor resection, radius or ulna

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)1Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.10/0.69/0.21Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 25170

Bone tumor resection, radius or ulna

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 50 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

25170 without 50 · national facility

$1,329.69

Bone tumor resection, radius or ulna

25170-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,994.54

Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).

When to use modifier 50

25170 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 25170

    Bone tumor resection, radius or ulna21.65 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 25120

    Bone lesion removal, radius or ulna, without graft6.11 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 25125

    Bone lesion excision, forearm, with autograft7.48 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 25150

    Ulna resection, partial bone removal7.2 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 25151

    Radius excision, partial bone removal7.49 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

25120Bone lesion removalRadius or ulna, without graft
25120 describes forearm lesion removal. Use 25170 when the operation is a radical resection of a radius or ulna tumor, rather than a more limited lesion procedure.
25125Bone lesion excisionForearm, with autograft
25125 describes forearm lesion removal with grafting. It is not a substitute for 25170 when the documented operation is radical tumor resection.
25150Ulna resectionPartial bone removal
25150 describes partial removal of the ulna. Code 25170 applies when the procedure is a radical resection of a tumor involving the radius or ulna.
25151Radius excisionPartial bone removal
25151 describes partial removal of the radius. Choose 25170 instead when the documented procedure is radical tumor resection.

Codes related to 25170

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Codes related to 25170
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
25120Bone lesion removal, radius or ulna, without graftForearm lesion removal; distinguish its operative scope from radical tumor resection.No office rate
25125Bone lesion excision, forearm, with autograftForearm lesion removal with grafting, when that procedure rather than radical resection is performed.No office rate
25126Bone lesion surgery, radius or ulna, with allograftAnother forearm lesion removal-with-graft code; choose by the procedure documented.No office rate
25150Ulna resection, partial bone removalPartial ulna removal, rather than radical tumor resection, when that is the operation performed.No office rate
25151Radius excision, partial bone removalPartial radius removal, rather than radical tumor resection, when that is the operation performed.No office rate

25170 billing questions

How is this different from code 25120?

Code 25170 is for radical resection of a radius or ulna tumor. Code 25120 describes removal of a forearm lesion; select based on the operation actually performed and documented, not the diagnosis alone.

When would a lesion-removal code with grafting be considered instead?

Codes 25125 and 25126 describe forearm lesion removal with grafting. They are alternatives when that is the documented procedure rather than radical tumor resection.

Does the 90-day global include routine postoperative visits?

Yes. The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

How does Medicare handle multiple procedures in the same session?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; Medicare does not permit team-surgery payment for this code.

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

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 25170PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,408 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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