CPT code 44970: Appendectomy, laparoscopic approach2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Chico, CA

In Chico, CA, Medicare pays $564.85 for 44970 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 44970 nationwide

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

What 44970 covers

A surgeon removes the appendix through small abdominal incisions using a camera and laparoscopic instruments. The operation is commonly performed in a hospital operating room for acute appendicitis, including cases where inflammation or infection affects the appendix. The surgeon identifies and frees the appendix, divides it from its attachments, and removes it from the abdomen. General or acute care surgeons typically perform the procedure.

Select this code when the operative report supports a laparoscopic appendectomy; document the indication, approach, and work performed. It has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for the single appendix. Assistant-at-surgery and co-surgeon services may be paid; 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.

How Chico, CA compares for 44970

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 44970 runs from $512.68 in Arkansas to $708.71 in Alaska. Chico, CA pays $564.85. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

44970 rates by state

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

See 44970 in every payment locality

How the 44970 rate is calculated

Each of 44970’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 44970

44970 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

Codes related to 44970

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

How 44970 has changed in Chico, CA

Price 44970 for an earlier date of service

Where the Chico, CA rate applies

Chico, CA is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 30 cities and communities in California. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• 44970 in Chico
• 44970 in Bangor
• 44970 in Berry Creek
• 44970 in Biggs
• 44970 in Butte Creek Canyon
• 44970 in Butte Meadows
• 44970 in Butte Valley
• 44970 in Cherokee

Browse all communities in California

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