CPT code 44128: Small bowel resection, additional atresia resection2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 44128 in California.

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

What 44128 covers

Code 44128 identifies an additional small-bowel resection during surgery for congenital atresia. The operation is generally performed by a pediatric or general surgeon in a hospital operating room, often in an infant or child whose atresia requires more than one resection. The operative report should distinguish the additional resection from the primary atresia procedure and describe the bowel segments treated and the reason for each resection.

Report 44128 only with its primary procedure, generally 44127 for congenital atresia repair involving intestinal tapering. It represents an additional qualifying resection, not simply extra operative time or tapering work. CMS classifies it as an add-on code: payment is made within the primary procedure’s global period. Documentation should identify the primary procedure and clearly support the additional resection performed.

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 44128 pays more and less in California

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

29 of 29 payment localities

How the 44128 rate is calculated

Each of 44128’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 44128

The CMS indicators that decide how 44128 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 80

44128 compared with similar codes

How to choose

44127Atresia resectionWith tapering enteroplasty

44127 describes the primary congenital-atresia operation with intestinal tapering; 44128 is used for a qualifying additional resection during that treatment.

44126Atresia resectionWithout bowel tapering

44126 is the primary congenital-atresia resection without intestinal tapering. 44128 is an add-on for an additional resection, not the primary procedure.

44120Small-bowel resectionSingle resection with anastomosis

44120 describes a standard small-bowel resection with anastomosis, rather than the congenital-atresia add-on represented by 44128.

Codes related to 44128

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