No office rate
Both entries have a single-space forearm decompression short descriptor. Check the full code descriptor and operative details to distinguish the procedure variant.
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CMS RVU26D · Effective 2026-10-01
25020 Forearm fasciotomy Medicare reimbursement rates in Texas
Reports surgical release of one forearm or wrist compartment to relieve pressure, commonly for acute compartment syndrome after injury or impaired circulation. Compare 25020 office and facility rates across CMS payment localities in Texas.
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 25020 in Texas?
Texas has 8 payment localities in this comparison. Use the service location to choose the applicable amount. These are the supported base rates for the 8 payment areas shown below, using the same CMS release.
Office / nonfacility
No supported rate
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.
Where 25020 pays more and less in Texas
Orthopedic surgery
About 25020: Single-compartment forearm fasciotomy
Reports surgical release of one forearm or wrist compartment to relieve pressure, commonly for acute compartment syndrome after injury or impaired circulation.
This code describes a fasciotomy that releases one fascial space in the forearm and/or wrist to reduce pressure on muscle, nerves, and blood vessels. Orthopedic and hand surgeons commonly perform it for acute compartment syndrome, such as after a crush injury, fracture, or return of circulation to an ischemic limb. The work is generally performed in an operating room or other facility setting.
Select the code based on the operative report’s documented site and number of spaces released; a diagnosis of compartment syndrome alone does not establish the extent of the procedure. The record should identify the involved compartment and describe the release performed. This major surgery has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
CMS billing rules for 25020
- 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
- Statutory restriction: assistant at surgery is not paid.
- Co-surgeons
- Co-surgeons not permitted.
- Team surgery
- Team surgery not permitted.
Where the value comes from
- Work RVU5.91 · 27%
- Practice expense (office) RVU14.56 · 67%
- Malpractice RVU1.14 · 5%
1.9K
Medicare services in 2024 · #2511 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.
25020 compared with similar codes
Office rates for Texas, from the same CMS release.
No office rate
The CMS short descriptor identifies 25024 as a two-space decompression; 25020 represents release of one space.
No office rate
25028 describes incision and drainage of a deep forearm or wrist abscess or hematoma; 25020 is a compartment release for pressure decompression.
Compare 25020 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.
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | Office Unavailable | Facility $746.05 |
| Beaumont | Office Unavailable | Facility $675.32 |
| Brazoria | Office Unavailable | Facility $710.62 |
| Dallas | Office Unavailable | Facility $716.22 |
| Fort Worth | Office Unavailable | Facility $711.85 |
| Galveston | Office Unavailable | Facility $713.42 |
| Houston | Office Unavailable | Facility $734.29 |
| Rest Of Texas | Office Unavailable | Facility $693.30 |
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25020 billing questions
When is 25020 appropriate instead of a two-space decompression code?
Use 25020 when the operative report documents release of one forearm or wrist space. A two-space procedure is represented by a different code in the family, so base selection on the documented operative extent.
Does the diagnosis of compartment syndrome support reporting 25020 by itself?
No. The operative documentation should establish that a single space was released and identify the site and work performed.
How is bilateral 25020 reported?
For bilateral procedures, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be paid for 25020?
CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service. 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 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.
2,36724999,,Unlisted px humerus/elbow,C,,0.00,0.00,,0.00,,0.00,0.00,0.00,0,YYY,0.00,0.00,0.00,2,1,0,1,1,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,36825000,,Incision of tendon sheath,A,,3.46,6.07,NA,6.07,,0.66,10.19,10.19,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,36925001,,Incise flexor carpi radialis,A,,3.70,5.83,NA,5.83,,0.69,10.22,10.22,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,37025020,,Decompress forearm 1 space,A,,5.91,14.56,NA,14.56,,1.14,21.61,21.61,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,37125023,,Decompress forearm 1 space,A,,13.48,21.62,NA,21.62,,2.74,37.84,37.84,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,37225024,,Decompress forearm 2 spaces,A,,10.52,9.05,NA,9.05,,2.19,21.76,21.76,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,1,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00
2,37325025,,Decompress forearm 2 spaces,A,,17.49,12.45,NA,12.45,,3.72,33.66,33.66,0,090,0.10,0.69,0.21,2,1,0,0,0,9,,33.4009,09,0,99,0.00,0.00,0.00