Billing code 25295: Tendon releaseMedicare rate & RVUs in Guam
Surgical tenolysis frees a single flexor or extensor tendon in the forearm or wrist when adhesions restrict its movement after injury or surgery.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 25295 in Guam.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 25295 covers
A hand or orthopedic surgeon performs tenolysis to separate a tendon from adhesions that limit its glide. The service is used for a flexor or extensor tendon in the forearm or wrist, often when scarring after tendon repair, trauma, or another operation restricts motion despite recovery or therapy. It is typically performed in an operating room or ambulatory surgery setting.
Report this code for release of one tendon in the forearm or wrist, not for cutting a tendon or repairing a tendon injury. The operative report should identify the tendon, describe the adhesions and restricted excursion, and document the release performed. The service has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery; 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.
25295 in Hawaii, Guam
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii, Guam | Unavailable | $511.64 |
How the 25295 rate is calculated
Each of 25295’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 · 25295
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work6.55
6.55 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense7.07
7.07 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.26
1.26 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
14.8800
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$497.01
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 25295
25295 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 25295
Tendon release
| 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) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| 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 · 25295
Tendon release
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
25295 without 51 · national facility
$497.01
Tendon release
25295-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$248.51
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%).
25295 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 25290Tendon division
- Choose 25295 to free a tendon from adhesions; choose 25290 when the surgeon divides the tendon.
- 25280Tendon adjustment
- 25295 releases adhesions restricting tendon glide. 25280 is for tendon revision or lengthening, not adhesiolysis.
- 26440Flexor tenolysis
- Both describe tendon tenolysis, but 26440 applies to a flexor tendon in the palm or finger; 25295 is for the forearm or wrist.
- 25260Flexor tendon repair
- 25260 is used to repair a forearm tendon injury. 25295 releases adhesions around a tendon rather than repairing it.
25295 billing questions
How does this differ from tendon incision code 25290?
25295 frees a tendon from adhesions that restrict its glide. Use 25290 when the procedure intentionally divides a tendon rather than releasing scar attachments.
What documentation supports reporting 25295?
Document the involved forearm or wrist tendon, the adhesions restricting its movement, and the operative release. The record should distinguish tenolysis from tendon division or repair.
Can modifier 50 be used when both sides are treated?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; do not append modifier 50.
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?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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
Fee sheets
Put 25295 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →