CPT code 44391: Colonoscopy through stoma, control of bleeding2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports colonoscopy performed through a stoma to locate and treat a bleeding site using an endoscopic hemostasis method.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities160 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $701.75 for 44391 nationally in the office and $203.08 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $616.34–$953.13.

Medicare rate · 44391

Colonoscopy through stoma, control of bleeding

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
4.02
Total RVUs
21.01
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$701.75

Office setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 44391 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

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

Your location

Medicare pays by the payment locality where the service is performed.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 44391 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 44391 covers

A gastroenterologist or surgeon advances a colonoscope through a colostomy or other stoma to examine the colon and control active bleeding. The service includes endoscopic hemostasis, such as treatment of a bleeding lesion identified during the examination. It is typically performed in a hospital or ambulatory endoscopy facility when a patient with a stoma has gastrointestinal bleeding requiring endoscopic treatment.

Report this code when the colonoscopy reaches the colon through the stoma and bleeding is treated; documentation should identify the route, the bleeding site or source when found, and the hemostasis performed. It is not the code for a routine examination through a stoma or for treatment of a polyp instead of bleeding. CMS assigns 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. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery, and 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 44391 pays more and less

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

109 payment localities

$616.34 to $953.13

$616.34$784.74$953.13
One dot per payment locality, office / nonfacility. Hover a dot to see the locality; select it to open that rate.

109 of 109 payment localities

44391 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Alabama$625.97$189.63
Alaska$797.71$266.62
Arizona$682.39$199.17
Arkansas$616.34$187.98
Atlanta, GA$714.14$207.49
Austin, TX$732.24$204.64
Bakersfield, CA$751.14$204.59
Baltimore area, MD$747.90$212.82
Beaumont, TX$650.98$197.18
Brazoria, TX$694.41$200.22

44391 rates by state

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

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

$616.34

$851.43

Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.

View every state and territory as a table
44391 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AK$797.711
AL$625.971
AR$616.341
AZ$682.391
CA$749.72–$953.1329
CO$735.241
CT$750.221
DC$808.991
DE$694.221
FL$685.37–$748.383
GA$645.17–$714.142
GU$770.741
HI$770.741
IA$645.391
ID$649.341
IL$662.59–$729.714
IN$653.401
KS$641.001
KY$639.171
LA$637.64–$671.332
MA$729.96–$812.582
MD$708.43–$808.993
ME$651.68–$690.992
MI$655.77–$693.212
MN$706.701
MO$625.20–$675.303
MS$620.961
MT$701.721
NC$659.121
ND$692.431
NE$649.501
NH$722.411
NJ$759.41–$799.562
NM$659.111
NV$699.681
NY$669.50–$828.095
OH$653.871
OK$639.211
OR$694.88–$761.132
PA$655.64–$729.822
PR$707.591
RI$720.821
SC$657.461
SD$691.331
TN$644.271
TX$650.98–$732.248
UT$667.041
VA$687.76–$808.992
VI$707.591
VT$688.481
WA$728.99–$830.852
WI$667.711
WV$636.241
WY$697.671

How the 44391 rate is calculated

Each of 44391’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 · 44391

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work4.02

4.02 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense16.52

16.52 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice0.47

0.47 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

21.0100

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$701.75

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 44391

The CMS indicators that decide how 44391 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 44391

Colonoscopy through stoma, control of bleeding

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures3Endoscopy family rules apply.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)1Not paid (statutory restriction).
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

44391 without 51 · national office

$701.75

Colonoscopy through stoma, control of bleeding

44391-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$350.88

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%).

When to use modifier 51

44391 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

5 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 44391

    Colonoscopy through stoma, control of bleeding4.02 wRVU

    $701.75

  • 44388

    Colonoscopy, diagnostic, through stoma2.65 wRVU

    $353.72−$348.03

  • 44389

    Colonoscopy, through stoma, with biopsy2.94 wRVU

    $457.59−$244.16

  • 44392

    Stoma colonoscopy, hot biopsy forceps removal3.44 wRVU

    $432.21−$269.54

  • 45382

    Colonoscopy, control of bleeding4.54 wRVU

    $730.14+$28.39

How to choose

44388ColonoscopyDiagnostic, through stoma
44388 describes colonoscopy through a stoma without a therapeutic intervention. Choose 44391 when the endoscopist controls bleeding during the procedure.
44389ColonoscopyThrough stoma, with biopsy
44389 is for biopsy through a stoma; 44391 is for endoscopic control of bleeding. A biopsy alone does not establish bleeding control.
44392Stoma colonoscopyHot biopsy forceps removal
44392 covers removal of a lesion through a stoma using specified methods. Use 44391 when the treated problem is bleeding and the service is hemostasis.
45382ColonoscopyControl of bleeding
Both codes describe colonoscopic bleeding control. 44391 is for access through a stoma; 45382 applies when the colon is approached by the route covered by that code.

44391 billing questions

How is this different from colonoscopy through a stoma without a therapeutic intervention?

Use 44391 when the endoscopist controls bleeding during the examination. A diagnostic examination through a stoma without bleeding control is represented by 44388.

Can a diagnostic colonoscopy through the stoma be reported separately?

The examination used to locate and treat the bleeding is part of the therapeutic service. When related endoscopies are performed together, CMS endoscopy family pricing applies.

Can modifier 50 be added for bilateral treatment?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code because of its descriptor or anatomy.

Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be reported?

CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

What documentation supports reporting 44391?

Document that the colonoscope entered through the stoma, the bleeding site or source when identified, and the method used to control bleeding.

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
RVUs for 44391PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,413 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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