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CPT code 44615: Intestinal stricturoplasty, each small-bowel stricture2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgery that widens a narrowed small-intestine segment while preserving bowel, typically for a symptomatic stricture such as one caused by Crohn disease.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities173 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $995.01 for 44615 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 44615

Intestinal stricturoplasty, each small-bowel stricture

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
17.71
Total RVUs
29.79
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$995.01

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 44615 →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 44615 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 44615 covers

A surgeon opens and reshapes a narrowed segment of small intestine to improve passage through it while preserving the affected bowel rather than removing it. This bowel-sparing approach is commonly used for small-intestinal strictures, including those associated with Crohn disease, and is performed in an operating room. The code is reported for each stricture treated by stricturoplasty.

The operative report should identify the small-intestinal site, the stricture treated, and the procedure used to widen it. A 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is not appropriate for this intestinal operation. Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 44615 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

44615 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$901.85
AlaskaUnavailable$1,245.93
ArizonaUnavailable$966.88
ArkansasUnavailable$890.55
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$1,028.82
Austin, TXUnavailable$995.81
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$977.64
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$1,056.61
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$961.33
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$966.94

44615 rates by state

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

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

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

View every state and territory as a table
44615 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 44615 rate is calculated

Each of 44615’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 · 44615

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work17.71

17.71 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense7.94

7.94 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice4.14

4.14 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

29.7900

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$995.01

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 44615

44615 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 44615

Intestinal stricturoplasty, each small-bowel stricture

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.09/0.81/0.10Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 44615

Intestinal stricturoplasty, each small-bowel stricture

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

44615 without 51 · national facility

$995.01

Intestinal stricturoplasty, each small-bowel stricture

44615-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$497.51

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

44615 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 44615

    Intestinal stricturoplasty, each small-bowel stricture17.71 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 44120

    Small-bowel resection, single resection with anastomosis20.3 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 44602

    Small-bowel repair, single injury perforation24.1 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 44620

    Stoma closure, without resection and anastomosis14.07 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

44120Small-bowel resectionSingle resection with anastomosis
Stricturoplasty widens and preserves the narrowed segment. Code 44120 is used when the surgeon removes a small-intestinal segment and reconnects the bowel.
44602Small-bowel repairSingle injury perforation
Code 44602 describes repair of a small-intestinal injury by suturing; 44615 treats a narrowed segment by widening it.
44620Stoma closureWithout resection and anastomosis
Code 44620 concerns closure of an intestinal opening or stoma, not treatment of a small-intestinal stricture.

Codes related to 44615

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

Codes related to 44615
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
44120Small-bowel resection, single resection with anastomosisUsed when the surgeon removes a small-intestinal segment and reconnects the bowel instead of preserving the narrowed segment.No office rate
44130Bowel anastomosis, small bowel to small bowelAn intestinal bypass anastomosis may be selected for an obstructed segment rather than widening it by stricturoplasty.No office rate
Often billed with
44121Small bowel resection, each additional resectionMay accompany resection of a separate small-intestinal segment during the same operation as stricturoplasty.No office rate

44615 billing questions

How is stricturoplasty different from small-bowel resection?

Report stricturoplasty when the surgeon widens the narrowed segment and preserves it. When the diseased segment is removed and the bowel is reconnected, consider the applicable resection code, such as 44120.

Is the code reported once for the operation or for each stricture?

The code is reported for each small-intestinal stricture treated by stricturoplasty. The operative report should distinguish the treated strictures and the work performed on each.

Can stricturoplasty be reported with a small-bowel resection?

They may be reported in the same session when the surgeon performs stricturoplasty on one segment and resects a separate segment. Document the distinct sites and procedures; the multiple-procedure reduction applies to procedures performed in the same session.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

Should modifier 50 be used for stricturoplasties on more than one site?

No. Modifier 50 is not appropriate for this intestinal procedure; report the service for each treated stricture instead.

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 44615PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,430 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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