A6446 Conforming Bandage HCPCS Reimbursement | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

HCPCS A6446: Conforming Sterile Non-Elastic Bandage 3–5 in per Yard

HCPCS Level II code A6446 identifies a sterile, non-elastic conforming bandage (knitted or woven) between three and five inches wide, billed per yard. This supply code is used nationally across inpatient, outpatient, emergency, ambulatory surgery, and home health settings for wound care, dressing reinforcement, and light compression. The code matters because supplies like A6446 contribute to aggregate outpatient and home health episode costs and are commonly billed alongside procedural and wound-care service lines.

Key payers included in this coverage and benchmarking context are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find concise information on clinical context and typical sites of service for A6446, common billing practices, and the payer landscape. The publication summarizes benchmarks where available, notes coding and billing considerations relevant to supply billing, and highlights policy or coverage themes affecting sterile dressing supplies.

Data not provided in the input (such as specific reimbursement rates, associated ICD-10 diagnoses, or taxonomy mappings) is noted as unavailable. The material is intended to inform coding, billing review, and procurement discussions at a national level.

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Billing Code Overview

HCPCS Level II code A6446 describes a conforming bandage, non-elastic, knitted/woven, sterile, with a width greater than or equal to three inches and less than five inches, billed per yard. This item is a disposable sterile dressing supply intended for wound support, compression, or securement of primary dressings.

Service type: Durable medical/surgical supply for wound care and dressing management.

Typical site of service: Outpatient clinics, hospital inpatient wards, emergency departments, ambulatory surgery centers, and home health settings where sterile dressing supplies are applied or changed.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is a 68-year-old with a chronic venous stasis ulcer of the lower leg being managed in a wound care clinic. After wound cleansing, debridement as indicated, and application of a topical dressing, the clinician measures and cuts a sterile, non-elastic conforming bandage to the required length to secure primary dressings and provide mild compression and protection. The service is supplied per yard under the billing code A6446. Typical workflow: patient assessment and wound measurement, selection of primary dressing, cut and apply conforming bandage (sterile, knitted/woven, 3–5 inch width), document length used in yards, record wound diagnosis and dressing supplies in the chart, and supply the bandage to the patient or apply in clinic. Typical site of service is an outpatient wound care or podiatry clinic, home health visit, or outpatient surgical clinic. The service is used when a sterile, non-elastic bandage is required to secure dressings or provide immobilization for wounds, postsurgical dressings, or minor soft-tissue injury dressing needs.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting the professional component of a bundled service if applicable (rare for supply-only codes).

HCPCS A4344: Indwelling Foley Catheter, Two-Way, Silicone/Polyurethane

HCPCS-A6442-CONFORMING-BANDAGE-NON-ELASTIC-LESS-THAN-3IN-PER-YARD

HCPCS A6442: Conforming Non-Elastic Bandage <3" Width, Per Yard

HCPCS-A7505-TRACHEOSTOMA-HOUSING-HEAT-MOISTURE-EXCHANGE

HCPCS A7505: Reusable Tracheostoma Housing for Heat and Moisture Exchange

HCPCS-A6209-FOAM-WOUND-DRESSING-STERILE-PAD-16SQIN-OR-LESS

HCPCS A6209: Sterile Foam Wound Dressing, Pad ≤16 sq. in.

HCPCS-A7031-FACE-MASK-INTERFACE-REPLACEMENT-FULL-FACE-MASK

HCPCS A7031: Face Mask Interface, Replacement for Full Face Mask

HCPCS-A4424-OSTOMY-POUCH-DRAINABLE-WITH-BARRIER-AND-FILTER

HCPCS A4424: Ostomy Pouch, Drainable with Barrier and Filter

HCPCS-A4371-OSTOMY-SKIN-BARRIER-POWDER-PER-OZ

HCPCS A4371: Ostomy Skin Barrier Powder, Per Ounce

HCPCS-A4285-BREAST-PUMP-POLYCARBONATE-BOTTLE-REPLACEMENT

HCPCS A4285: Polycarbonate Bottle for Breast Pump, Replacement

HCPCS-A6554-GRADIENT-COMPRESSION-STOCKING-BELOW-KNEE-40MMHG

HCPCS A6554: Below-Knee Gradient Compression Stocking, 40 mmHg or Greater

HCPCS-A6243-HYDROGEL-DRESSING-16-48-SQIN-NO-ADHESIVE-BORDER

HCPCS A6243: Hydrogel Wound Dressing, 16–48 sq. in., No Adhesive Border

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Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207P00000X`	Podiatry	Podiatrists commonly manage lower-extremity wounds and apply conforming bandages.
`207QA0000X`	Wound Care Specialist	Clinicians specializing in wound management who supply and apply sterile conforming bandages.
`207R00000X`	Surgery	General and vascular surgeons involved in postoperative wound care and dressing supplies.
`208000000X`	Family Medicine	Primary care clinicians providing outpatient wound care and supplies.
`335600000X`	Home Health	Home health nurses who supply and apply bandages during home visits.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`I83.019`	Varicose veins of right lower extremity with ulcer, unspecified site	Venous stasis ulcers often require conforming sterile bandages to secure dressings and provide compression.
`I83.029`	Varicose veins of left lower extremity with ulcer, unspecified site	As above for left-sided venous stasis ulcer care.
`I87.2`	Venous insufficiency (chronic)	Chronic venous insufficiency leads to skin breakdown and need for secure dressings and bandaging.
`L97.309`	Non-pressure chronic ulcer of unspecified part of lower leg, unspecified severity	Common indication for sterile conforming bandages to protect and secure wound dressings.
`S81.811A`	Laceration with foreign body of right lower leg, initial encounter	Acute soft-tissue injury requiring sterile dressing and conforming bandage application.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`29580`	Application of multi-layer compression system, leg, for venous stasis ulcer	Often performed alongside `A6446` when multilayer compression is applied; `A6446` may supply non-elastic conforming bandage as part of layering.
`97602`	Debridement, non-selective, without anesthesia (eg, wet-to-moist dressings), initial	Debridement and wound care often precede application of a sterile conforming bandage billed under `A6446`.
`97597`	Debridement (e.g., high-pressure irrigation) of open wound, first 20 sq cm or less	Surgical or sharp debridement performed prior to dressing and bandaging; `A6446` used to secure dressings post-debridement.
`99070`	Supplies and materials (except spectacles), provided by physician over and above those usually included with the service	Alternative code sometimes used by payers to capture additional disposable supplies; relates to `A6446` as supply of sterile bandage.
`98960`	Education and training for patient self-management for home use (e.g., wound care)	Patient education on dressing changes and bandage use frequently accompanies supply of `A6446` bandage.

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