CPT code 25210: Carpal bone removal, one bone2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Maryland
Reports surgical removal of one carpal bone, such as excision of the pisiform for symptomatic pisotriquetral arthritis.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 25210 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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What 25210 covers
An orthopedic or hand surgeon uses this service to remove one carpal bone for a specific symptomatic or pathologic problem. A familiar example is pisiform excision for painful pisotriquetral arthritis. The procedure may take place in a hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgery center, with the operative report identifying the bone removed and the reason for excision.
Select this code when the operation removes a single carpal bone; removal of all carpal bones is a different service. Document the target bone, indication, operative work, and any distinct procedures performed in the same session. The 90-day global period includes 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. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery 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 25210 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 | $496.32 |
| Rest of Maryland | Unavailable | $468.88 |
| Washington, DC area | Unavailable | $523.23 |
How the 25210 rate is calculated
Each of 25210’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 · 25210
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work5.97
5.97 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.87
6.87 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.15
1.15 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
13.9900
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$467.28
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 25210
25210 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 25210
Carpal bone removal, one bone
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.10/0.69/0.21 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 25210
Carpal bone removal, one bone
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
25210 without 51 · national facility
$467.28
Carpal bone removal, one bone
25210-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$233.64
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
25210 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 25215CarpectomyEntire proximal carpal row
- Choose 25210 for excision of one carpal bone; 25215 describes removal of all carpal bones.
- 25447Interposition arthroplastyIntercarpal or carpometacarpal joints
- Use 25447 when trapezium excision is performed with interposition or reconstruction for thumb carpometacarpal arthritis, rather than reporting single-bone excision alone.
- 25230Radius resectionPartial bone removal
- 25230 addresses partial removal of the radius. This code applies when the excised bone is one carpal bone.
- 25240Ulna ostectomyPartial bone removal
- 25240 addresses partial removal of the ulna. This code applies when the excised bone is one carpal bone.
25210 billing questions
How does this differ from 25215?
This code is for removal of one carpal bone. Code 25215 is for removal of all carpal bones.
Can modifier 50 be used when the surgeon operates on both wrists?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. The operative documentation should identify the bone removed and the side.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
Document the specific carpal bone removed, the clinical reason for excision, and the operative work. For example, identify pisiform excision when treating symptomatic pisotriquetral arthritis.
Is related postoperative care separately reported?
Related postoperative care during the 90-day global period is included. The global period also includes the day-before preoperative visit.
How are other procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires medical-necessity documentation; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
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
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