CPT code 00870: Cystolithotomy anesthesia, extraperitoneal approach2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Illinois
Anesthesia for open extraperitoneal bladder stone removal, reported when the operative procedure is a cystolithotomy rather than shock-wave lithotripsy.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 00870 in Illinois.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
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On this page 9 sections
What 00870 covers
This service covers anesthesia for an open extraperitoneal operation that reaches the urinary bladder through the lower abdomen to remove bladder calculi. An anesthesiologist or CRNA typically provides and reports the anesthesia in a hospital or other surgical facility. The operative service is commonly a cystolithotomy, such as the operation represented by CPT 51050; the surgeon’s record should establish the bladder incision and stone removal.
Choose this code for cystolithotomy, not for shock-wave treatment of urinary stones or a lower abdominal procedure without a more specific anesthesia category. The anesthesia record should identify the procedure and document the practitioner’s anesthesia start and end times. This code has 5 base units; Medicare payment is (base units + time units) × the locality’s anesthesia conversion factor. Time is counted in minutes and converted to 15-minute units to one decimal place, from preparation for anesthesia until the practitioner is no longer in personal attendance and the patient can safely be placed under postoperative care; the conversion factor varies by locality.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.
Where 00870 pays more and less in Illinois
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| East St. Louis, IL | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Rest of Illinois | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Suburban Chicago, IL | Unavailable | Unavailable |
How the 00870 rate is calculated
Each of 00870’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 00870
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.0000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$0.00
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 00870
00870 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.
Place of service · 00870
Which rate does Medicare pay?
The POS code on the claim line (CMS-1500 box 24B).
POS 11 · non-facility rate · national
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00870 isn’t priced in this setting.
00870 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 00860Lower abdominal anesthesiaExtraperitoneal, unspecified procedure
- 00870 identifies anesthesia for extraperitoneal cystolithotomy. Use 00860 for an extraperitoneal lower abdominal procedure when no more specific anesthesia category describes it.
- 00872Lithotripsy anesthesiaWater-bath technique
- 00872 is for anesthesia during extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy with a water bath. It is not the code for open bladder incision and stone removal.
- 00873ESWL anesthesiaWithout water bath
- 00873 is for extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy without a water bath. 00870 describes anesthesia for extraperitoneal cystolithotomy.
00870 billing questions
When should I choose 00870 instead of 00860?
Use 00870 for anesthesia for extraperitoneal cystolithotomy. Code 00860 is for an extraperitoneal lower abdominal procedure that does not have a more specific anesthesia code.
Is shock-wave lithotripsy reported with 00870?
No. Anesthesia for extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy is classified under 00872 or 00873, depending on the treatment setup; 00870 is for cystolithotomy.
What should the operative and anesthesia records show?
The operative report should support an extraperitoneal bladder incision and removal of bladder stones. The anesthesia record should identify the procedure and document anesthesia start and end times.
How are Medicare units calculated for 00870?
The code has 5 base units, to which anesthesia time units are added before applying the locality’s anesthesia conversion factor. Time is converted from minutes into 15-minute units, computed to one decimal place.
Is 00870 the surgeon’s cystolithotomy code?
No. It reports the anesthesia service; the surgeon reports the operative procedure, commonly CPT 51050 for cystolithotomy without vesical neck resection.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
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