No office rate
Use 25800 for complete wrist fusion without graft. Use 25820 when the surgeon fuses only selected wrist joints.
On this page
CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
25820 Wrist fusion Medicare reimbursement rates in Tennessee
A surgeon fuses selected wrist bones without bone graft to treat conditions such as painful arthritis or instability while preserving unfused wrist joints. Compare 25820 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Tennessee.
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 25820 in Tennessee?
Tennessee 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
$563.89
1 of 1 localities have a supported rate.
Payment area: Tennessee
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.
Orthopedic surgery
About 25820: Limited wrist fusion without bone graft
A surgeon fuses selected wrist bones without bone graft to treat conditions such as painful arthritis or instability while preserving unfused wrist joints.
An orthopedic or hand surgeon performs a limited wrist arthrodesis by joining selected wrist bones while leaving other wrist joints unfused. The procedure may be used for painful wrist arthritis, post-traumatic damage, or instability when the treatment plan calls for a partial rather than complete wrist fusion. This code describes the limited fusion performed without bone graft; the operative report should identify the bones fused and the extent of the arthrodesis.
Report the code when the surgeon performs that limited fusion and does not use bone graft. Documentation should support the involved joints, the reason for fusion, and the graft status. Medicare assigns 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 other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons require supporting documentation, and team-surgery billing is not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 25820
- 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 RVU7.45 · 40%
- Practice expense (office) RVU9.52 · 52%
- Malpractice RVU1.45 · 8%
403
Medicare services in 2024 · #3732 by national volume
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.
25820 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Tennessee, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
Use 25805 when the wrist fusion includes a sliding bone graft; 25820 describes a limited fusion without graft.
No office rate
Use 25810 when iliac or another autograft is used for the wrist arthrodesis. This code is for limited fusion without bone graft.
No office rate
Use 25825 when autograft is used for wrist arthrodesis. Use 25820 when the documented limited fusion is performed without graft.
Compare 25820 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
Tennessee →
Office / nonfacility
Unavailable
Facility
$563.89
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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 25820 in Tennessee.
PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv
2,512
- Code
- 25820
- Physician work
- 7.45
- Practice expense
- 9.52
- Malpractice
- 1.45
GPCI2026.csv
95
- Locality
- Tennessee
- Physician work
- 1.000
- Practice expense
- 0.909
- Malpractice
- 0.537
| Component | RVU | Locality factor | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician work | 7.45 | × 1.000 | 7.4500 |
| Practice expense | 9.52 | × 0.909 | 8.6537 |
| Malpractice | 1.45 | × 0.537 | 0.7787 |
| Total RVUs | 16.8823 | ||
| Conversion factor | × 33.4009 | ||
Facility rate, Tennessee$563.89
Explore RVUs, geographic factors and the full formula
Facility
| Component | RVU | Local GPCI |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 7.45 | 1 |
| Practice expense | 9.52 | 0.909 |
| Malpractice | 1.45 | 0.537 |
(7.45 × 1 + 9.52 × 0.909 + 1.45 × 0.537) × $33.4009 = $563.89
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.
25820 billing questions
How does this differ from a complete wrist fusion?
This code is for fusion of selected wrist bones, with other wrist joints left unfused. A complete wrist fusion is reported with 25800 when that broader procedure is performed.
Can this code be reported if bone graft is used?
No. This code describes a limited wrist fusion without bone graft; select the code that matches the graft used and the documented procedure.
What documentation supports reporting this code?
The operative report should identify the bones or joints fused, confirm the limited extent of the fusion, state that no bone graft was used, and document the clinical reason.
Can an assistant-at-surgery claim be submitted?
CMS allows payment for an assistant at surgery for this procedure. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation.
How is this procedure handled when performed bilaterally?
CMS pays bilateral reporting with modifier 50 at 150%. The operative documentation should support performance on both wrists.
Are related postoperative visits included?
Yes. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
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.
2,50925800,,Arthrd wrist complete wo grf,A,,9.82,8.46,NA,8.46,,1.88,20.16,20.16,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,51025805,,Arthrd wrist w/sliding graft,A,,11.44,9.84,NA,9.84,,2.44,23.72,23.72,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,51125810,,Arthrd wrst iliac/oth agrft,A,,11.65,9.92,NA,9.92,,2.20,23.77,23.77,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,51225820,,Arthrd wrist lmtd w/o b1 grf,A,,7.45,9.52,NA,9.52,,1.45,18.42,18.42,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,51325825,,Arthrd wrist with autograft,A,,9.45,11.03,NA,11.03,,1.79,22.27,22.27,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,51425830,,Arthrd dst rad/ul jt sgm rsc,A,,10.61,16.37,NA,16.37,,2.08,29.06,29.06,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,2,1,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,51525900,,Amputation of forearm,A,,9.37,8.81,NA,8.81,,1.88,20.06,20.06,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
9214412,RI,01,RHODE ISLAND,1.019,1.033,0.892
9311202,SC,01,SOUTH CAROLINA,1.000,0.924,0.850
9403402,SD,02,SOUTH DAKOTA**,1.000,1.000,0.336
9510312,TN,35,TENNESSEE,1.000,0.909,0.537
9604412,TX,31,AUSTIN,1.002,1.058,0.886
9704412,TX,20,BEAUMONT,1.000,0.910,0.929
9804412,TX,09,BRAZORIA,1.008,0.991,0.780