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

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 25444 in California.

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

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 in California

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

29 of 29 payment localities

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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 25444

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

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

25444 compared with similar codes

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.

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates