CPT code 44370: Small bowel endoscopy, endoscopic stent placement2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Reports small-bowel endoscopy when the endoscopist places an intraluminal stent to treat a small-bowel narrowing or obstruction.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 44370 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.
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What 44370 covers
A gastroenterologist or other qualified endoscopist uses an endoscope to reach the small bowel and place a stent within its lumen. A typical clinical purpose is to maintain passage through a narrowed or obstructed segment. The service is generally performed in a facility setting; CMS recorded facility services for this code in 2024 and no office services.
Report the code when the documented endoscopic service includes small-bowel stent placement, rather than diagnostic inspection alone, biopsy, or another therapeutic maneuver. The report should identify the treated small-bowel segment, the indication, and the stent placement. This is a minor procedure with a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy family pricing applies. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this anatomy and descriptor. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery 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.
Where 44370 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
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | Unavailable | $238.36 |
| Chico, CA | Unavailable | $236.86 |
| El Centro, CA | Unavailable | $236.94 |
| Fresno, CA | Unavailable | $236.86 |
| Hanford, CA | Unavailable | $236.86 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Unavailable | $248.40 |
| Madera, CA | Unavailable | $236.86 |
| Marin County, CA | Unavailable | $268.37 |
| Merced, CA | Unavailable | $236.86 |
| Modesto, CA | Unavailable | $236.86 |
| Napa, CA | Unavailable | $258.18 |
| Oxnard, CA | Unavailable | $245.68 |
| Redding, CA | Unavailable | $236.86 |
| Rest of California | Unavailable | $236.86 |
| Riverside, CA | Unavailable | $242.20 |
| Sacramento, CA | Unavailable | $244.21 |
| Salinas, CA | Unavailable | $243.18 |
| San Benito County, CA | Unavailable | $274.05 |
| San Diego, CA | Unavailable | $245.59 |
| San Francisco, CA | Unavailable | $267.82 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Unavailable | $239.72 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | Unavailable | $271.78 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | Unavailable | $245.38 |
| Santa Maria, CA | Unavailable | $243.19 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | Unavailable | $247.62 |
| Stockton, CA | Unavailable | $236.86 |
| Vallejo, CA | Unavailable | $257.38 |
| Visalia, CA | Unavailable | $236.86 |
| Yuba City, CA | Unavailable | $236.86 |
How the 44370 rate is calculated
Each of 44370’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 · 44370
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work4.57
4.57 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.99
1.99 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.49
0.49 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
7.0500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$235.48
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 44370
The CMS indicators that decide how 44370 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 44370
Small bowel endoscopy, endoscopic stent placement
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 3 | Endoscopy family rules apply. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
44370 without 51 · national facility
$235.48
Small bowel endoscopy, endoscopic stent placement
44370-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$117.74
When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).
44370 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 44360Small-bowel examDiagnostic, without biopsy
- Choose 44360 for diagnostic small-bowel endoscopy without the stent placement represented by 44370.
- 44361Small bowel endoscopyBiopsy, ileum excluded
- Choose 44361 when the small-bowel endoscopy includes biopsy rather than stent placement.
- 44379Small bowel enteroscopyEndoscopic stent placement
- Both codes are associated with small-bowel stent endoscopy. Compare the actual approach and procedure documented before selecting the code.
44370 billing questions
When should this code be selected instead of a diagnostic small-bowel endoscopy code?
Use this code when the endoscopist places an intraluminal stent during the small-bowel endoscopy. Diagnostic inspection without stent placement is represented by a different service.
What documentation supports reporting the stent service?
Document the small-bowel segment treated, the reason for stenting, and that the stent was placed endoscopically. The report should distinguish placement from diagnostic inspection or biopsy alone.
Can modifier 50 be reported for bilateral stent placement?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code because the descriptor or anatomy does not support modifier 50.
How are related endoscopies paid when performed together?
Endoscopy family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in this code's 0-day global period.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.
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
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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