CPT code 47000: Liver biopsy, percutaneous needle2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Texas
Reports percutaneous needle sampling of liver tissue for diagnostic evaluation, performed by a physician in an office, outpatient, or hospital setting.
Medicare pays $266.95–$300.63 for 47000 in the office in Texas, from Beaumont, TX to Austin, TX. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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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On this page 9 sections
What 47000 covers
A physician passes a biopsy needle through the skin into the liver to obtain tissue for diagnostic examination. Gastroenterologists, hepatologists, radiologists, and other physicians may perform the procedure, often in an outpatient department or hospital; some biopsies are performed in an office. The service is distinct from obtaining a wedge specimen during open surgery. The specimen is submitted for pathological examination, and imaging guidance may be used when clinically indicated.
Report 47000 for the percutaneous needle biopsy itself. The procedure note should support the liver as the sampled site, the percutaneous approach, and tissue acquisition; document guidance separately when performed. Pathological examination of the tissue is a separate service when performed and reportable. This minor procedure has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this code; 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 47000 pays more and less in Texas
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
8 payment localities
$266.95 to $300.63
8 of 8 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX | $300.63 | $76.94 |
| Beaumont, TX | $266.95 | $74.55 |
| Brazoria, TX | $285.04 | $75.52 |
| Dallas, TX | $286.68 | $76.10 |
| Fort Worth, TX | $284.47 | $76.00 |
| Galveston, TX | $285.77 | $75.82 |
| Houston, TX | $288.88 | $78.93 |
| Rest of Texas | $275.71 | $75.07 |
How the 47000 rate is calculated
Each of 47000’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 · 47000
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.61
1.61 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.84
6.84 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.17
0.17 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
8.6200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$287.92
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 47000
The CMS indicators that decide how 47000 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 47000
Liver biopsy, percutaneous needle
| 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 | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| 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
47000 without 51 · national office
$287.92
Liver biopsy, percutaneous needle
47000-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$143.96
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%).
47000 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 47001Liver biopsyDuring another major procedure
- 47000 describes a percutaneous needle biopsy performed as its own procedure. 47001 is for an indicated needle biopsy during another major procedure.
- 47100Liver biopsyWedge tissue sample
- Use 47100 for wedge sampling of liver tissue, generally obtained surgically; use 47000 for tissue obtained through a percutaneous needle approach.
- 88307Tissue pathology examLevel V specimen
- 88307 reports pathological examination of the needle liver biopsy specimen, not the physician's percutaneous tissue-acquisition procedure reported with 47000.
47000 billing questions
When should 47000 be used instead of 47001?
Use 47000 for a percutaneous needle biopsy performed as a standalone procedure. Code 47001 describes a needle biopsy performed for an indicated purpose during another major procedure.
Is liver pathology included in 47000?
The biopsy code represents tissue acquisition, not the pathologist's examination. A separately performed, reportable examination of a needle liver biopsy specimen may be reported with 88307.
Can modifier 50 be used for a biopsy of both liver lobes?
No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for 47000, even if sampling involves more than one liver area.
How does the multiple-procedure reduction affect 47000?
When other procedures are performed in the same session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard 50% reduction to the others.
What documentation supports reporting 47000?
Document the clinical reason for sampling, the liver as the site, the percutaneous needle approach, and that tissue was obtained. Record imaging guidance separately when used.
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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