CPT code 43450: Esophageal dilation, unguided sound or bougie2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Tennessee

In Tennessee, Medicare pays $194.73 for 43450 in the office and $68.43 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 43450 nationwide

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 43450 covers

This service enlarges a narrowed esophageal lumen by passing an unguided tapered sound or bougie through the mouth into the esophagus. Gastroenterologists and other physicians commonly perform it for dysphagia caused by narrowing, such as a benign stricture or ring, in an endoscopy unit, ambulatory surgery center, or hospital. The instrument is passed without a guidewire; one or several passes during the session are part of the same dilation service.

Choose 43450 for unguided sound or bougie dilation. Use 43453 for dilation over a guidewire, and compare endoscopic dilation codes when the procedure uses endoscopic guidance. Document the indication, narrowed site, technique, instrument, and passes. The CMS 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When eligible procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. Medicare does not pay for an assistant at surgery for this service; co-surgeon and team-surgery reporting are not permitted.

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.

How Tennessee compares for 43450

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 43450 runs from $186.35 in Arkansas to $287.44 in San Benito County, CA. Tennessee pays $194.73. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

43450 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

See 43450 in every payment locality

How the 43450 rate is calculated

Each of 43450’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 43450

The CMS indicators that decide how 43450 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

Codes related to 43450

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

How 43450 has changed in Tennessee

Price 43450 for an earlier date of service

Where the Tennessee rate applies

Tennessee is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 504 cities and communities in Tennessee. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Adams
• Adamsville
• Alamo
• Alcoa
• Alexandria
• Algood
• Allardt
• Altamont

Browse all communities in Tennessee

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates