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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01

25443 Wrist arthroplasty Medicare reimbursement rates in Alaska

Reports wrist arthroplasty using a prosthetic replacement for the distal scaphoid and carpus when that specific anatomy is surgically treated. Compare 25443 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Alaska.

Amounts below use the non-QP conversion factor for participating physicians. These are base physician payments before claim-level adjustments, not patient costs or total hospital charges.

What does Medicare pay for 25443 in Alaska?

Alaska has 1 payment locality in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the payment area shown below, using the same CMS release.

Office / nonfacility

No supported rate

Facility setting

$898.62

1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.

Payment area: Alaska*

One mapped payment locality.

These are locality ranges, not averages or address-specific quotes. A facility-setting amount covers the physician service; it does not include a hospital’s separate bill. Choose a locality below to inspect its calculation, compare other payment areas, or price a percentage of Medicare.

Find 25443 in your payment locality →

Orthopedic surgery

About 25443: Distal scaphoid prosthetic arthroplasty

Reports wrist arthroplasty using a prosthetic replacement for the distal scaphoid and carpus when that specific anatomy is surgically treated.

An orthopedic hand or wrist surgeon uses this code when performing arthroplasty with prosthetic replacement involving the distal scaphoid and carpus. The procedure is generally performed in an operating room for a patient whose affected wrist anatomy is being treated with an implant. The operative report should identify the structures replaced and document the prosthetic work performed.

Report the code for the documented distal scaphoid and carpal target, not for replacement of a different wrist bone or a broader joint reconstruction. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, which includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. For bilateral procedures, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

CMS billing rules for 25443

Global period
Major surgery with a 90-day global period: the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included.
Multiple procedures
Standard multiple procedure reduction: the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50% when performed in the same session.
Bilateral procedures
Bilateral procedure with modifier 50 is paid at 150%.
Assistant at surgery
Assistant at surgery may be paid.
Co-surgeons
Co-surgeons paid only with supporting documentation.
Team surgery
Team surgery not permitted.

Where the value comes from

  • Work RVU10.39 · 47%
  • Practice expense (office) RVU9.49 · 43%
  • Malpractice RVU2.20 · 10%

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.

25443 compared with similar codes

Office rates for Alaska, from the same CMS release.

25441

Wrist arthroplasty

Distal radius prosthesis

No office rate

Use 25441 when the prosthetic replacement target is the distal radius. This code identifies the distal scaphoid and carpus instead.

25444

Wrist arthroplasty

Prosthetic lunate

No office rate

Use 25444 for prosthetic replacement of the lunate; this code concerns the distal scaphoid and carpus.

25445

Trapezium arthroplasty

Prosthetic replacement

No office rate

Use 25445 when the prosthetic replacement target is the trapezium, rather than the distal scaphoid and carpus.

25446

Wrist arthroplasty

Distal radius and carpus

No office rate

Use 25446 when the documented prosthetic arthroplasty involves the distal radius and carpus. This code identifies the distal scaphoid and carpus.

Compare 25443 by payment locality

Find the payment area for your service address, then open its rate page for calculation inputs, release history and the percentage-of-Medicare tool. A city may cross payment-area boundaries; the ZIP lookup above helps resolve the location.

1 of 1 payment localities

Office and facility base rates · shared scale starting at $0

  • Alaska* →

    Office / nonfacility

    Unavailable

    Facility

    $898.62

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How this local rate is calculated

Each RVU component is multiplied by its own geographic practice cost index (GPCI). The three adjusted components are added, then multiplied by the conversion factor. These are the inputs used for 25443 in Alaska*.

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

2,460

Code
25443
Physician work
10.39
Practice expense
9.49
Malpractice
2.20

GPCI2026.csv

5

Locality
Alaska*
Physician work
1.500
Practice expense
1.065
Malpractice
0.551
Facility calculation for 25443 in Alaska*
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work10.39× 1.50015.5850
Practice expense9.49× 1.06510.1068
Malpractice2.20× 0.5511.2122
Total RVUs26.9041
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Facility rate, Alaska*$898.62

Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula

Facility

Facility calculation inputs
ComponentRVULocal GPCI
Work10.391.5
Practice expense9.491.065
Malpractice2.20.551

(10.39 × 1.5 + 9.49 × 1.065 + 2.2 × 0.551) × $33.4009 = $898.62

The office and facility calculations use their respective practice-expense RVUs. The facility amount here is the physician fee, not a separate hospital or facility bill.

25443 billing questions

How do I distinguish this code from other wrist prosthetic arthroplasties?

Select it when the operative documentation identifies the distal scaphoid and carpus as the prosthetic replacement target. Codes for the distal radius, ulna, lunate, or trapezium identify different anatomy.

What documentation supports reporting this code?

The operative report should identify the distal scaphoid and carpal structures treated and describe the prosthetic replacement performed. Documentation of a different bone or reconstruction target points to a different code.

Does this code have a 90-day global period?

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

How is a bilateral procedure reported?

CMS identifies this as a bilateral procedure; modifier 50 is paid at 150%.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available. Co-surgeons are paid only with supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted.

What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?

Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the other procedures are paid at 50%.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense, and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indices and the applicable conversion factor. Unavailable or separately priced services are labeled rather than assigned a made-up amount.

Source: RVU26D. Effective 2026-10-01 through the day before 2027-01-01.

RVUs for 25443PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 2,460 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for Alaska*GPCI2026.csv, line 5 (RVU26D)
Open CMS sourceHow this rate is calculatedBuild a fee sheet