Summary & Overview
HCPCS Q4024: Pediatric Short Arm Fiberglass Splint
HCPCS Level II code Q4024 designates a pediatric short arm fiberglass splint for patients aged 0–10 years. This supply code captures non-invasive immobilization materials commonly used in pediatric fracture management and acute upper-extremity injuries. Nationally, availability and appropriate coding of pediatric splint supplies affect billing consistency, clinical documentation, and durable medical equipment supply chains in outpatient and emergency settings.
Key payers in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The publication outlines payer-coverage patterns, common modifier usage, and clinical contexts where Q4024 is billed. Readers will find benchmarks on utilization and reimbursement patterns (where available), guidance on documentation and service-line alignment, and summaries of relevant policy considerations affecting supply coding for pediatric immobilization.
This piece provides clinicians and billing professionals with a concise reference to the clinical purpose of the code, the typical sites of service where it is used, and the practical billing considerations that influence national coding consistency for pediatric fiberglass short arm splints.
Billing Code Overview
HCPCS Level II code Q4024 describes cast supplies, short arm splint, pediatric (0-10 years), fiberglass. This supply is used to create a rigid short arm splint for pediatric patients, typically fashioned from fiberglass materials sized and shaped for children ages 0 to 10 years.
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Service type: Durable medical supply / orthotic support
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Typical site of service: Ambulatory clinics, emergency departments, urgent care centers, orthopedic clinics, and hospital outpatient departments where pediatric fracture or soft-tissue immobilization is provided
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Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 7-year-old child presents to an urgent care clinic after falling from playground equipment onto an outstretched hand. The child has localized forearm and wrist pain, swelling, and limited use of the arm. After a focused history and physical exam, plain radiographs of the forearm and wrist are obtained. Imaging demonstrates a nondisplaced distal radius fracture appropriate for immobilization rather than operative management. The clinical team (pediatric orthopedic surgeon or orthopedic advanced practice provider in collaboration with the attending) applies a short arm pediatric fiberglass splint using cast supplies. The splinting workflow includes patient/guardian consent, analgesia as needed, wound assessment (if open injury absent), padding and stockinette application, molding of a pediatric short arm fiberglass splint sized for 0–10 years, drying time monitoring, and discharge instructions with follow-up arranged within 1–2 weeks for re-evaluation and possible transition to a circumferential cast.
Typical site of service is an urgent care center, pediatric emergency department, ambulatory orthopedic clinic, or outpatient cast room where nonoperative pediatric fracture immobilization is performed.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
LT | Left side | When the short arm splint is applied to the left upper extremity |