Orthopedic Implant Movement Analysis — CPB 0888 | AETNA Coverage Update

Aetna modified CPB 0888, covering radiostereometric analysis (RSA) and CT-based implant motion analysis, effective January 5, 2026. Every indication across CPT codes 0348T, 0349T, 0350T, and 0946T remains non-covered — and billing teams need to act now.

Aetna, a CVS Health company, updated its orthopedic implant movement analysis coverage policy under CPB 0888 in the Aetna radiostereometric analysis coverage policy. The policy explicitly classifies RSA for all listed orthopedic indications — including total knee replacement migration, reverse total shoulder arthroplasty wear, spinal fusion assessment, and hip pathomechanics — as experimental, investigational, or unproven. CT-based implant motion analysis under CPT 0946T carries the same designation. If your team bills any of these codes for Aetna members, expect denial.

Quick-Reference Table

Aetna Radiostereometric Analysis Coverage Criteria and Medical Necessity Requirements 2026

The short answer on Aetna RSA coverage criteria: there are none. Aetna does not cover radiostereometric analysis under any indication listed in CPB 0888. The policy makes no distinction between implant types, joint locations, or patient populations. Every RSA indication fails the medical necessity threshold.

This is a blanket experimental designation — not a narrow exclusion. Aetna's position is that RSA's effectiveness has not been established for any of the 13-plus indications listed. That includes bread-and-butter post-surgical surveillance work like evaluating migration after total knee replacement, wear measurement for reverse total shoulder arthroplasty, and long-term outcome prediction in total hip arthroplasty. These are the cases where RSA sees the most real-world use, and Aetna covers none of them.

CT-based implant motion analysis — billed under CPT 0946T — gets the same treatment. It's experimental. Period. Don't expect prior authorization to open a pathway here. Aetna's coverage policy doesn't describe a prior authorization route for these services because coverage is off the table entirely, not just conditionally restricted.

For billing teams managing high orthopedic volume with Aetna contracts, the reimbursement exposure is real. RSA studies are not cheap to perform, and if your facility has been billing these codes with the expectation of coverage, you're sitting on potential claim denial risk that needs an audit.

Aetna Radiostereometric Analysis Exclusions and Non-Covered Indications

Every indication Aetna lists under CPB 0888 is non-covered. This is worth spelling out explicitly, because the list covers a wide clinical territory. Your orthopedic and spine teams may be ordering these studies routinely without knowing they're billing into a wall.

Here's what Aetna explicitly calls experimental, investigational, or unproven:

For RSA (CPT 0348T, 0349T, 0350T):

For CT-based implant motion analysis (CPT 0946T):

The real issue here is scope. This isn't a policy that carves out a few edge-case uses. It covers the full clinical lifecycle of orthopedic implant surveillance — pre-operative, post-operative, and long-term follow-up — and denies coverage across all of it. If your surgeons are ordering RSA as part of a standard post-arthroplasty protocol for Aetna members, those claims will not be paid.

Coverage Indications at a Glance

Aetna Orthopedic Implant Movement Analysis Billing Guidelines and Action Items 2026

The radiostereometric analysis billing question for Aetna members is simple: don't bill it. But that simple answer creates some specific tasks for your team.

CPT, HCPCS, and ICD-10 Codes for Orthopedic Implant Movement Analysis Under CPB 0888

Not Covered / Experimental CPT Codes

Key ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Codes