Summary & Overview
HCPCS E0951: Heel Loop/Holder with or without Ankle Strap
HCPCS Level II code E0951 identifies a heel loop/holder, with or without an ankle strap. This durable medical equipment code represents a common orthotic accessory used to secure the heel and provide rearfoot support for patients requiring footwear stabilization, positioning, or limited ambulatory assistance. Nationally, such items are relevant across outpatient, home health, and long-term care settings and are frequently encountered in DME billing workflows.
Key payers addressed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The publication provides payers' coverage context, typical sites of service, coding considerations, and benchmarking where available. Readers will find a concise description of the device and service type, an outline of typical billing and clinical contexts, and guidance on where to find additional payer-specific coverage rules. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.
This summary equips billing professionals, DME suppliers, clinicians, and policy analysts with a clear, national-level understanding of what E0951 represents, why it appears on claims, and the practical service settings in which heel loops/holders are used.
Billing Code Overview
HCPCS Level II code E0951 describes a heel loop/holder, any type, with or without ankle strap, each. This item is an orthotic/assistive device designed to secure or support the heel and ankle, typically used to stabilize the rearfoot, prevent slippage of footwear, or assist patients with mobility and positioning needs.
Service type: Durable medical equipment / orthotic device
Typical site of service: Outpatient clinics, durable medical equipment suppliers, home health settings, and long-term care facilities
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A patient with chronic heel pain or instability is evaluated in an outpatient orthotics clinic. The patient presents with discomfort localized to the posterior heel due to conditions such as Achilles tendinopathy, heel bursitis, diabetic foot deformity with pressure at the heel, or after surgical repair requiring offloading or stabilization of the heel. A certified orthotist or prosthetist, or an orthopedic clinician, assesses the need for a heel loop/holder to secure an orthosis, prosthesis, or heel cup. The device described by HCPCS code E0951 (heel loop/holder, any type, with or without ankle strap, each) is selected when a device is required to anchor an orthosis or to provide a stabilizing strap for a heel insert.
The clinical workflow includes: initial evaluation and documentation of diagnosis and functional limitation; measurement and fitting by the orthotics technician or prosthetist; trial of the heel loop/holder on the patient for comfort and fit; documentation of medical necessity and device description in the patient record; delivery and patient education on use and skin checks; and billing the device under E0951 with appropriate modifier(s) reflecting laterality, billing circumstances, or provider role as required by the payer.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
LT |