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CPT code 25444: Wrist arthroplasty, prosthetic lunate2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports wrist arthroplasty in which the surgeon replaces the lunate with a prosthesis, including selected cases of lunate collapse from Kienböck disease.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities118 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $759.54 for 25444 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 25444

Wrist arthroplasty, prosthetic lunate

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
11.13
Total RVUs
22.74
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$759.54

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 25444 →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 25444 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 25444 covers

An orthopedic or hand surgeon uses this code when performing wrist arthroplasty with a prosthetic lunate. A typical clinical setting is treatment of advanced lunate damage, such as collapse associated with Kienböck disease, when the operative plan calls for lunate replacement rather than removal alone or reconstruction of a different carpal bone. The service is generally performed in an operating room under anesthesia.

Select 25444 when the operative report supports prosthetic replacement of the lunate; document the condition treated, the bone replaced, and the implant procedure. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For procedures on both wrists, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 25444 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

25444 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$688.87
AlaskaUnavailable$933.71
ArizonaUnavailable$739.40
ArkansasUnavailable$680.16
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$780.14
Austin, TXUnavailable$770.42
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$768.85
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$805.57
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$726.00
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$743.87

25444 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
25444 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 25444 rate is calculated

Each of 25444’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 · 25444

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work11.13

11.13 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense9.46

9.46 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice2.15

2.15 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

22.7400

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$759.54

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 25444

25444 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 25444

Wrist arthroplasty, prosthetic lunate

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)0Not permitted.
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 · 25444

Wrist arthroplasty, prosthetic lunate

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

25444 without 50 · national facility

$759.54

Wrist arthroplasty, prosthetic lunate

25444-50 · Bilateral: 150%

$1,139.31

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

25444 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 25444

    Wrist arthroplasty, prosthetic lunate11.13 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 25443

    Wrist arthroplasty, distal scaphoid and carpus10.39 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 25445

    Trapezium arthroplasty, prosthetic replacement9.63 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 25215

    Carpectomy, entire proximal carpal row7.94 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

25443Wrist arthroplastyDistal scaphoid and carpus
Choose 25444 for prosthetic replacement of the lunate; choose 25443 when the prosthetic arthroplasty involves the distal scaphoid.
25445Trapezium arthroplastyProsthetic replacement
25445 is for prosthetic arthroplasty involving the trapezium, not the lunate.
25215CarpectomyEntire proximal carpal row
25215 represents removal of the proximal row of carpal bones. It is distinct from replacing the lunate with a prosthesis under 25444.

Codes related to 25444

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

Codes related to 25444
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
25441Wrist arthroplasty, distal radius prosthesisProsthetic wrist arthroplasty involving the distal radius rather than the lunate.No office rate
25442Ulna arthroplasty, prosthetic distal ulnaProsthetic wrist arthroplasty involving the distal ulna rather than the lunate.No office rate
25443Wrist arthroplasty, distal scaphoid and carpusProsthetic arthroplasty involving the distal scaphoid.No office rate
25445Trapezium arthroplasty, prosthetic replacementProsthetic arthroplasty involving the trapezium.No office rate
25446Wrist arthroplasty, distal radius and carpusProsthetic arthroplasty involving the distal radius and carpus.No office rate
Used instead
25215Carpectomy, entire proximal carpal rowProximal row carpectomy removes the proximal carpal row rather than replacing the lunate with a prosthesis.No office rate

25444 billing questions

When should 25444 be chosen over a lunate excision code?

Use 25444 when the surgeon performs arthroplasty with a prosthetic lunate. Removal of the lunate without prosthetic replacement is a different service.

How does 25444 differ from 25443?

25444 describes prosthetic replacement of the lunate; 25443 describes prosthetic arthroplasty involving the distal scaphoid. Follow the bone identified in the operative report.

Can 25444 be reported for both wrists?

For bilateral performance, CMS lists modifier 50 and payment at 150%. The operative documentation should support lunate prosthetic arthroplasty on each side.

What postoperative care is included?

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

Can an assistant surgeon be reported?

CMS indicates that assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted 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 25444PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,461 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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