L6037 — Immediate post-surgical or early fitting, application of initial rigid dressing, including fitting alignment and suspension of components, and one cast change, partial hand including fingers
L6037 is a HCPCS Level II code for immediate post-surgical or early fitting, application of initial rigid dressing, including fitting alignment and suspension of components, and one cast change, partial hand including fingers. It belongs to the Orthotic and Prosthetic Procedures and Devices section. Whether Medicare pays it depends on the coverage rule below.
Medicare coverage: Carrier judgment
Coverage is decided by your Medicare contractor, not by national policy. Whether this is paid depends on the LCD for your jurisdiction and on what the documentation supports.
From the coverage field of the CMS Alpha-Numeric HCPCS File, release 2026Q3-Jul. This states Medicare’s position on the code, not on your particular claim.
Medically Unlikely Edits — units per day
The most units of L6037 Medicare will pay on one date of service. Bill more on a single line and it is denied. The limit is not the same in every setting, so the row that matters is the one matching the claim you are building.
- practitioner
- 0 — never payable MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · CMS Policy
- outpatient
- 2 units MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · Anatomic Consideration
- DME supplier
- 2 units MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · Anatomic Consideration
The adjudication indicator decides whether exceeding the limit is worth appealing at all: MAI 1 is a line edit you can support with documentation, MAI 3 is a date-of-service edit that is also appealable, and MAI 2 is absolute — no documentation overrides it. CMS MUE 2026Q3.
The CMS record for L6037
- Long descriptor
- Immediate post-surgical or early fitting, application of initial rigid dressing, including fitting alignment and suspension of components, and one cast change, partial hand including fingers
- Short descriptor
- Postop dsg cast chg handfing
- Added
- April 1, 2025
- BETOS
- D1F
- Pricing indicator
- 38 — DMEPOS
The official wording. This is what the code means.
CMS's 28-character form, which is what shows up on a remittance advice.
When CMS introduced the code.
Berenson-Eggers Type of Service — CMS's own analytic grouping.
Orthotics, prosthetics, prosthetic devices and vision services. Price subject to floors and ceilings.
Codes adjacent to L6037
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If L6037 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- L6029Upper extremity addition, test socket/interface, partial hand including fingers
- L6030Upper extremity addition, external frame, partial hand including fingers
- L6031Replacement socket/interface, partial hand including fingers, molded to patient model, for use with or without external power
- L6032Addition to upper extremity prosthesis, partial hand including fingers, ultralight material (titanium, carbon fiber or equal)
- L6033Addition to upper extremity prosthesis, partial hand including fingers, acrylic material
- L6034Partial hand, finger, and thumb prosthesis without prosthetic digit(s)/thumb, amputation at distal to metacarpal joint, including flexible or non-flexible interface, molded to patient model, for use without external power and/or passive prosthetic digit/thumb, not including inserts described by l6692
- L6035Single prosthetic digit, mechanical, can include metacarpophalangeal (mcp), proximal interphalangeal (pip), and/or distal interphalangeal (dip) joint(s), with or without locking mechanism, can include flexion or extension assist, any material, attachment, initial issue or replacement
- L6036Prosthetic thumb, mechanical, can include metacarpophalangeal (mcp), interphalangeal (ip) joint(s), with or without locking mechanism, can include flexion or extension assist, any material, attachment, initial issue or replacement
- L6038Addition to single prosthetic digit or thumb, mechanical, attachment, multiaxial and/or internal/external rotation/abduction/adduction mechanism, with or without locking feature, any material
- L6039Passive prosthetic digit or thumb prosthesis not including hand restoration partial hand, full or partial, custom made, any material, initial or replacement, per single passive prosthetic digit or thumb
- L6050Wrist disarticulation, molded socket, flexible elbow hinges, triceps pad
- L6055Wrist disarticulation, molded socket with expandable interface, flexible elbow hinges, triceps pad
- L6100Below elbow, molded socket, flexible elbow hinge, triceps pad
- L6110Below elbow, molded socket, (muenster or northwestern suspension types)
- L6120Below elbow, molded double wall split socket, step-up hinges, half cuff
- L6130Below elbow, molded double wall split socket, stump activated locking hinge, half cuff
Questions about L6037
What is HCPCS code L6037?
L6037 is a HCPCS Level II code for immediate post-surgical or early fitting, application of initial rigid dressing, including fitting alignment and suspension of components, and one cast change, partial hand including fingers. It sits in the Orthotic and Prosthetic Procedures and Devices section.
Does Medicare cover L6037?
The CMS HCPCS file marks L6037 as "Carrier judgment". Coverage is decided by your Medicare contractor, not by national policy. Whether this is paid depends on the LCD for your jurisdiction and on what the documentation supports.