Summary & Overview
HCPCS A4461: Surgical Dressing Holder, Non-Reusable
HCPCS Level II code A4461 denotes a single-use surgical dressing holder used to secure dressings after surgery or during wound care. As a supply-level HCPCS item, it matters nationally because it affects supply billing, inventory management, and post-operative supply reimbursement across outpatient care settings. The code is relevant for hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, physician practices, and home health suppliers that provide single-use dressing accessories.
Key payers covered in this overview include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise explanation of the code’s clinical and service context, typical sites of service, and common billing considerations. The publication summarizes benchmark topics such as typical utilization settings and payer coverage patterns where available, notes on coding classification, and implications for supply management and billing workflows. Data not available in the input is clearly identified where applicable.
This resource provides clinicians, billing professionals, and policy stakeholders with the contextual information needed to identify when A4461 applies, understand its role in post-operative and wound-care supply billing, and locate further detail on payer policy or utilization trends when sourcing payer-specific guidance.
Billing Code Overview
HCPCS Level II code A4461 describes a surgical dressing holder, non-reusable, each. This item is a single-use device designed to secure sterile dressings in place after surgical procedures or wound care. Service type: Durable medical/surgical supply for wound care. Typical site of service: hospital outpatient settings, ambulatory surgical centers, physician offices, and other outpatient care locations where post-operative or wound dressing management is performed.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult or pediatric surgical patient requiring postoperative wound care where a sterile, single-use surgical dressing holder (A4461) is applied to secure dressings over an incision or drain site. Common scenarios include same-day ambulatory procedures (e.g., minor skin excisions, drain placements), inpatient postoperative dressing changes following general, orthopedic, or plastic surgery, and emergency department wound closures where a disposable dressing holder provides fixation and protection. The clinical workflow: pre- or intra-procedure staff open sterile packaging and apply the dressing holder to maintain a sterile field; postoperative nurses or wound care technicians replace the dressing holder during routine dressing changes at bedside or in clinic; the device is discarded after a single use. Typical sites of service are outpatient ambulatory surgical centers, hospital inpatient wards, hospital outpatient clinics, emergency departments, and skilled nursing or home health visits when a clinician performs an in-person dressing change.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
NU | New equipment | Use when the surgical dressing holder is furnished as new, single-use, non-reusable item. |