Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Surgical Treatments - Medicare Advantage

Covers surgical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome — specifically open or endoscopic carpal tunnel release and associated adjunctive procedures (e.g., epineurotomy, flexor tenosynovectomy, neurolysis, retinacular lengthening/reconstruction), with conservative care and corticosteroid injections recognized as initial management. Applies to patients with CTS (including diabetes-, rheumatoid arthritis–, and thyroid‑related CTS; pregnancy‑related CTS is noted though surgical timing/coverage may be limited) and to severe median nerve injury such as with distal radius fracture, but surgery generally requires prior conservative therapy and documentation of moderate‑to‑severe median nerve injury (EMG/NCS), thenar atrophy or persistent moderate‑to‑severe clinical signs with a positive provocative maneuver and otherwise must meet Medicare medical‑necessity criteria; coverage for novel techniques (thread- or ultrasound‑guided percutaneous release) is not specified.