Billing code 25500: Radial fracture careMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $326.66 for 25500 nationally in the office and $272.89 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $286.70–$427.45.

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

What 25500 covers

This service is for closed management of a fracture through the shaft of the radius when the physician treats it without manipulating the fracture. Orthopedic surgeons and other physicians who manage fractures may provide this care in an office, emergency department, or hospital setting. The treatment plan may include immobilization and follow-up for healing; the defining distinction is that the fracture is not manipulated. A radial shaft fracture associated with distal radioulnar joint dislocation follows a different code pathway.

Choose the code when the record supports a radial shaft fracture and closed treatment without manipulation. Document the fracture site, the treatment provided, and whether manipulation or operative fixation occurred. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 reports bilateral treatment and is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services are not paid; 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 25500 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

25500 rates by state

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

How the 25500 rate is calculated

Each of 25500’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 25500

25500 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

25500 compared with similar codes

How to choose

25505Fracture treatment

Both concern a radial shaft fracture treated closed. Choose 25500 when no manipulation is performed; choose 25505 when treatment includes manipulation.

25515Radius fracture repair

25500 describes closed treatment without manipulation. Use 25515 when the radial shaft fracture is treated with open surgery.

25520Forearm fracture care

25520 is for a radial shaft fracture with associated distal radioulnar joint dislocation; 25500 is for closed treatment without that fracture-dislocation pattern.

25560Forearm fracture care

25560 applies when both the radius and ulna shafts are fractured and treated closed without manipulation. Code 25500 is for the radial shaft fracture alone.

Codes related to 25500

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