CPT code 44979: Unlisted laparoscopy, appendix procedure2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Baytown, Texas
Baytown, TX spans 2 Medicare payment localities (Rest of State, Houston). Compare 2026 rates and find the locality for your ZIP.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 44979 in Baytown, Texas.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 6 sections
Where 44979 pays more and less in Baytown, Texas
Baytown, Texas maps to 2 Medicare payment localities in our Census-to-CMS crosswalk. A city name alone doesn’t confirm an address’s payment area.
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Houston, TX | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Rest of Texas | Unavailable | Unavailable |
How payment areas work in Baytown
City limits and Medicare payment areas are different maps. These are the payment areas that cover the city’s counties; the service ZIP decides which one applies.
- Rest Of State · Chambers County
- Houston · Harris County
City boundaries: 2026 Census geography · Census source · CMS county-to-locality definitions
How the 44979 rate is calculated
Each of 44979’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 · 44979
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.00
0.00 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
0.0000
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$0.00
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 44979
The CMS indicators that decide how 44979 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 44979
Unlisted laparoscopy, appendix procedure
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | YYY | The Medicare contractor sets the global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
44979 without 50 · national facility
$0.00
Unlisted laparoscopy, appendix procedure
44979-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$0.00
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
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
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Your codes at your locality, with payer contracts beside Medicare.
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