Closed reduction of a traumatic hip dislocation performed under anesthesia, manipulating the femoral head back into the acetabulum without surgical incision.

Verified May 8, 2026 · 6 sources ↓

Medicare: $718.45
Total RVUs: 21.51
Global, days: 90
Region: Hip

Drawn from CMSAAPCFindacodeMdclarityAoassn

Documentation requirements

What must appear in the operative or office note to support the claim.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in 6 cited references ↓

Mechanism and timing of injury — document time of dislocation and time of reduction; avascular necrosis risk increases with delay
Type and direction of dislocation (posterior, anterior, central) with supporting imaging findings
Anesthesia type and medical necessity — document why anesthesia was required to achieve reduction
Confirmation of concentric reduction with post-reduction imaging (plain film or CT), including radiologist or surgeon interpretation
Pre- and post-reduction neurovascular assessment, specifically documenting sciatic nerve status for posterior dislocations
Any associated fractures identified (acetabular rim, femoral head), as these may change code selection toward 27253 or open treatment codes

Applicable modifiers

Modifiers commonly billed with this code.

Source · AMA CPT modifier descriptors · CMS NCCI Policy Manual

22 Increased complexity 50 Bilateral procedure 51 Multiple procedures 58 Staged or related 78 Unplanned return — related 79 Unrelated during global LT Left side RT Right side

What this code covers

Source · Editorial summary grounded in 6 cited references ↓

CPT 27252 covers closed treatment of a traumatic hip dislocation when anesthesia is required to achieve reduction. The hip is manipulated back into proper alignment without opening the joint. Anesthesia — typically general or regional — is necessary because muscle spasm and pain make unaided reduction impossible. This distinguishes 27252 from 27250, which covers closed reduction performed without anesthesia.

Traumatic hip dislocations are orthopedic emergencies. Posterior dislocations account for the large majority of cases and are usually caused by high-energy trauma such as motor vehicle collisions. The risk of avascular necrosis of the femoral head rises sharply with time-to-reduction, making documentation of timing clinically and legally important. Concentric reduction must be confirmed radiographically before the case is closed.

27252 carries a 90-day global period. All routine post-reduction visits, neurovascular checks, and follow-up imaging interpretation are bundled into that global unless a distinct unrelated problem is separately documented and modifier 24 is appended. If the patient later requires open treatment or internal fixation, bill the staged procedure with modifier 58.

RVU & reimbursement

Component RVUs and Medicare national rate. Actual payment varies by GPCI locality.

Source · CMS Physician Fee Schedule, RVU26A · January 2026

Work RVU	10.75
Practice expense RVU	8.4
Malpractice RVU	2.36
Total RVU	21.51
Medicare national rate	$718.45
Global period	90 days

Payment by site of service

Medicare pays different rates by setting. HOPD typically pays substantially more than ASC for the same procedure.

Source · CMS OPPS Addendum B·ASC HCPCS payment rates·2026

Setting	Medicare rate (national)
Office (PFS non-facility) Procedure performed in physician's office	$718.45
HOPD (APC 5112) Hospital outpatient department	$1,642.82
ASC (PI A2) Ambulatory surgical center (freestanding)	$872.87

Common denial reasons

The recurring reasons claims for CPT 27252 get rejected.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓

Missing anesthesia documentation — payers deny 27252 and downcode to 27250 when the record doesn't clearly show anesthesia was administered and medically necessary
No post-reduction imaging documented — insufficient confirmation of concentric reduction triggers medical necessity denials
Wrong code for prosthetic hip dislocation — 27252 is for native hip traumatic dislocation; dislocations of a total hip arthroplasty require 27265 or 27266, and payers deny 27252 when implant history is present
Unbundling associated procedures without appropriate modifiers during the 90-day global period
ICD-10 diagnosis mismatch — congenital or developmental hip dislocation diagnoses (Q65.x) do not support a traumatic reduction code; payers require a traumatic dislocation code (S73.0xx)

Frequently asked questions

Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 6 cited references ↓

01What separates 27252 from 27250?

27250 is closed reduction without anesthesia. 27252 requires anesthesia — general or regional — because muscle spasm prevents reduction otherwise. If the record doesn't document anesthesia, payers will downcode to 27250.

02Can I bill 27252 for a dislocated total hip arthroplasty?

No. 27252 is for native joint traumatic dislocations only. Use 27265 (closed reduction, prosthetic hip dislocation, without anesthesia) or 27266 (with anesthesia) when an implant is present. Billing 27252 for a THA dislocation will be denied when implant history is visible in the record.

03What is the global period and what does it include?

27252 carries a 90-day global. That covers the surgery day, the day-before visit, and all routine post-reduction follow-up through day 90. New problems unrelated to the hip dislocation billed in that window need modifier 24 or 25 with supporting documentation.

04When should modifier 22 be used with 27252?

Append modifier 22 when the reduction required substantially more work than typical — for example, an obese patient requiring multiple reduction attempts or an unusually long anesthesia time. The operative note must explicitly describe the increased difficulty; a bare modifier 22 without narrative support will be denied.

05If the closed reduction fails and open treatment is performed same session, which code applies?

Bill 27253 (open treatment without internal fixation) or 27254 (open treatment with internal fixation) depending on what was done. Do not bill 27252 and 27253 together for the same hip — the closed attempt is bundled into the open procedure code.

06What ICD-10 codes support 27252?

Traumatic hip dislocation codes under S73.0xx are the appropriate diagnosis pairing. Posterior dislocation maps to S73.01xA (initial encounter). Congenital or developmental dislocation codes (Q65.x) do not support a traumatic closed reduction and will trigger a medical necessity denial.

Sources & references

Editorial content was developed using the following public sources. Last verified May 8, 2026.

Mira AI Scribe

Mira's AI scribe captures the mechanism of injury, time of dislocation, anesthesia type, direction of dislocation, post-reduction imaging result, and pre/post neurovascular findings directly from dictation. That prevents the two most common denials: downcoding to 27250 for missing anesthesia documentation, and payer rejection when no confirmed reduction is on record.

See how Mira captures CPT 27252 documentation