CPT code 44120: Small-bowel resection, single resection with anastomosis2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $1,136.30 for 44120 nationally in a facility.

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

What 44120 covers

A surgeon removes one diseased or damaged segment of small intestine and reconnects the remaining bowel ends with an anastomosis. General and colorectal surgeons commonly perform this open abdominal operation for conditions such as bowel obstruction, ischemia, Crohn disease, tumor, or traumatic injury, usually in a hospital operating room. The service includes the resection and the anastomosis; a separate code is not reported for reconnecting the bowel as part of this operation.

Choose 44120 when the operative report supports one small-bowel resection with anastomosis. Document the affected segment, reason for resection, extent of bowel removed, and reconstruction performed. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation. Modifier 50 is not used to represent bilateral work, and CMS does not permit team-surgery payment for this code.

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 44120 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

44120 rates by state

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

How the 44120 rate is calculated

Each of 44120’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 44120

44120 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

44120 compared with similar codes

How to choose

44121Small bowel resectionEach additional resection

44120 represents the initial single resection with anastomosis. 44121 is the add-on code for each additional resection and anastomosis in the same operation.

44125Small-bowel resectionWith enterostomy

Both involve small-bowel resection, but 44125 is selected when an enterostomy is created instead of reconnecting the bowel with an anastomosis.

44110Intestinal excisionSingle lesion

44110 describes excision of intestinal lesion(s); 44120 is appropriate when the surgeon removes a small-bowel segment and performs an anastomosis.

44126Atresia resectionWithout bowel tapering

44126 is for small-bowel resection for congenital atresia. 44120 describes a single resection with anastomosis for other clinical indications.

Codes related to 44120

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

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