Hand Surgery CPT Codes in the ASC Setting
Hand surgery is one of the most common orthopedic subspecialties performed in ambulatory surgery centers. Procedures on the hand, wrist, and fingers are short, use local or regional anesthesia, and send the patient home the same day. Surgeons repair tendons, release entrapped nerves, treat fractures and contractures, and remove soft-tissue and bone lesions.
Most of these codes fall in the CPT hand and wrist range, 25000 through 26989. Carpal tunnel release is the notable exception, reported with 64721 (neuroplasty of the median nerve at the wrist). Whether Medicare pays a hand code in an ASC depends on its CMS addendum: Addendum AA codes are on the ASC Covered Procedures List, while Addendum EE codes are excluded. DataLily's procedure library tracks the CPT-specific prior-authorization and documentation requirements behind these codes.
Ortho – Hand codes(1–60 of 339)
- 64721Carpal tunnel surgery
- 26055Incise finger tendon sheath
- 25111Remove wrist tendon lesion
- 25000Incision of tendon sheath
- 25001Incise flexor carpi radialis
- 25020Decompress forearm 1 space
- 25023Decompress forearm 1 space
- 25024Decompress forearm 2 spaces
- 25025Decompress forearm 2 spaces
- 25028I&d f/arm&/wrst dp absc/hmtm
- 25031I&d forearm&/wrist bursa
- 25035Inc dp bone crtx f/arm&/wrst
- 25040Arthrt rdcrpl/midcarpl jt
- 25065Biopsy forearm soft tissues
- 25066Biopsy forearm soft tissues
- 25071Exc forearm les sc 3 cm/>
- 25073Exc forearm tum deep 3 cm/>
- 25075Exc forearm les sc < 3 cm
- 25076Exc forearm tum deep < 3 cm
- 25077Resect forearm/wrist tum<3cm
- 25078Resect forarm/wrist tum 3cm>
- 25085Incision of wrist capsule
- 25100Biopsy of wrist joint
- 25101Explore/treat wrist joint
- 25105Remove wrist joint lining
- 25107Remove wrist joint cartilage
- 25109Excise tendon forearm/wrist
- 25110Remove wrist tendon lesion
- 25112Reremove wrist tendon lesion
- 25115Remove wrist/forearm lesion
- 25116Remove wrist/forearm lesion
- 25118Excise wrist tendon sheath
- 25119Partial removal of ulna
- 25120Removal of forearm lesion
- 25125Remove/graft forearm lesion
- 25126Remove/graft forearm lesion
- 25130Removal of wrist lesion
- 25135Remove & graft wrist lesion
- 25136Remove & graft wrist lesion
- 25145Remove forearm bone lesion
- 25150Partial removal of ulna
- 25151Partial removal of radius
- 25170Resect radius/ulnar tumor
- 25210Removal of wrist bone
- 25215Removal of wrist bones
- 25230Partial removal of radius
- 25240Partial removal of ulna
- 25246Injection for wrist x-ray
- 25248Remove forearm foreign body
- 25250Removal of wrist prosthesis
- 25251Removal of wrist prosthesis
- 25259Manipulate wrist w/anesthes
- 25260Repair forearm tendon/muscle
- 25263Repair forearm tendon/muscle
- 25265Repair forearm tendon/muscle
- 25270Repair forearm tendon/muscle
- 25272Repair forearm tendon/muscle
- 25274Repair forearm tendon/muscle
- 25275Repair forearm tendon sheath
- 25280Revise wrist/forearm tendon
Are hand surgery procedures done in an ASC?
Yes. Many hand, wrist, and finger procedures are well suited to the ambulatory surgery center setting because they are short, use local or regional anesthesia, and allow same-day discharge. Common examples include carpal tunnel release (64721) and trigger finger release (26055). Whether Medicare pays a specific code in an ASC depends on its status on the CMS ASC payment addenda, with Addendum AA codes being on the ASC Covered Procedures List.
What CPT codes does hand surgery use?
Hand surgery uses the CPT range 25000 through 26989, which covers the forearm, wrist, and digits. This includes tendon sheath procedures such as 25000 and 26055, and removal of tendon lesions such as 25111. Carpal tunnel release is reported with 64721, which describes neuroplasty of the median nerve at the wrist rather than a musculoskeletal repair. Our dataset maps 339 ASC-relevant codes to this specialty.
What place of service is used for hand surgery billing?
Hand surgery cases are typically billed with place of service 24 when performed in a freestanding ambulatory surgery center, or place of service 11 when performed in an office-based setting. The correct place of service affects how the facility and professional components are reported and how Medicare applies its ASC payment rules.