E0280 — Bed cradle, any type
E0280 is a HCPCS Level II code for bed cradle, any type. It belongs to the Durable Medical Equipment section. Whether Medicare pays it depends on the coverage rule below.
Medicare coverage: Carrier judgment
Coverage is decided by your Medicare contractor, not by national policy. Whether this is paid depends on the LCD for your jurisdiction and on what the documentation supports.
From the coverage field of the CMS Alpha-Numeric HCPCS File, release 2026Q3-Jul. This states Medicare’s position on the code, not on your particular claim.
Medically Unlikely Edits — units per day
The most units of E0280 Medicare will pay on one date of service. Bill more on a single line and it is denied. The limit is not the same in every setting, so the row that matters is the one matching the claim you are building.
- practitioner
- 0 — never payable MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · CMS Policy
- outpatient
- 0 — never payable MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · CMS Policy
- DME supplier
- 1 unit MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction
The adjudication indicator decides whether exceeding the limit is worth appealing at all: MAI 1 is a line edit you can support with documentation, MAI 3 is a date-of-service edit that is also appealable, and MAI 2 is absolute — no documentation overrides it. CMS MUE 2026Q3.
The CMS record for E0280
- Long descriptor
- Bed cradle, any type
- Short descriptor
- Bed cradle
- Added
- January 1, 1986
- BETOS
- D1B
- Pricing indicator
- 32 — DMEPOS
The official wording. This is what the code means.
CMS's 28-character form, which is what shows up on a remittance advice.
When CMS introduced the code.
Berenson-Eggers Type of Service — CMS's own analytic grouping.
Inexpensive and routinely purchased DME. Price subject to floors and ceilings.
Codes adjacent to E0280
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If E0280 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- E0270Hospital bed, institutional type includes: oscillating, circulating and stryker frame, with mattress
- E0271Mattress, innerspring
- E0272Mattress, foam rubber
- E0273Bed board
- E0274Over-bed table
- E0275Bed pan, standard, metal or plastic
- E0276Bed pan, fracture, metal or plastic
- E0277Powered pressure-reducing air mattress
- E0290Hospital bed, fixed height, without side rails, with mattress
- E0291Hospital bed, fixed height, without side rails, without mattress
- E0292Hospital bed, variable height, hi-lo, without side rails, with mattress
- E0293Hospital bed, variable height, hi-lo, without side rails, without mattress
- E0294Hospital bed, semi-electric (head and foot adjustment), without side rails, with mattress
- E0295Hospital bed, semi-electric (head and foot adjustment), without side rails, without mattress
- E0296Hospital bed, total electric (head, foot and height adjustments), without side rails, with mattress
- E0297Hospital bed, total electric (head, foot and height adjustments), without side rails, without mattress
Questions about E0280
What is HCPCS code E0280?
E0280 is a HCPCS Level II code for bed cradle, any type. It sits in the Durable Medical Equipment section.
Does Medicare cover E0280?
The CMS HCPCS file marks E0280 as "Carrier judgment". Coverage is decided by your Medicare contractor, not by national policy. Whether this is paid depends on the LCD for your jurisdiction and on what the documentation supports.