CPT code 47010: Liver drainage, open, one or two stages2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Reports open surgical drainage of a hepatic abscess or cyst when the surgeon treats the lesion through one or two operative stages.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 47010 in California.
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 47010 covers
A surgeon uses an open approach to access and drain an abscess or cyst in the liver. The service is performed in an operating room, commonly when a hepatic collection requires operative drainage rather than needle sampling or laparoscopic aspiration. The code covers treatment in one or two stages; the operative report should identify the lesion, the open approach, and the drainage performed.
Choose this code for open drainage, not for a liver biopsy or laparoscopic cyst aspiration. Document the indication, operative method, and number of stages to support code selection. Medicare assigns a 90-day global period, including 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 at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this service. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be allowed; 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 47010 pays more and less in California
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | Unavailable | $1,124.99 |
| Chico, CA | Unavailable | $1,111.88 |
| El Centro, CA | Unavailable | $1,112.69 |
| Fresno, CA | Unavailable | $1,111.88 |
| Hanford, CA | Unavailable | $1,111.88 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Unavailable | $1,178.16 |
| Madera, CA | Unavailable | $1,111.88 |
| Marin County, CA | Unavailable | $1,258.16 |
| Merced, CA | Unavailable | $1,111.88 |
| Modesto, CA | Unavailable | $1,111.88 |
| Napa, CA | Unavailable | $1,213.81 |
| Oxnard, CA | Unavailable | $1,162.94 |
| Redding, CA | Unavailable | $1,111.88 |
| Rest of California | Unavailable | $1,111.88 |
| Riverside, CA | Unavailable | $1,163.97 |
| Sacramento, CA | Unavailable | $1,147.25 |
| Salinas, CA | Unavailable | $1,142.69 |
| San Benito County, CA | Unavailable | $1,291.30 |
| San Diego, CA | Unavailable | $1,155.94 |
| San Francisco, CA | Unavailable | $1,252.64 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Unavailable | $1,126.87 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | Unavailable | $1,268.74 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | Unavailable | $1,155.90 |
| Santa Maria, CA | Unavailable | $1,143.24 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | Unavailable | $1,166.12 |
| Stockton, CA | Unavailable | $1,111.88 |
| Vallejo, CA | Unavailable | $1,205.86 |
| Visalia, CA | Unavailable | $1,111.88 |
| Yuba City, CA | Unavailable | $1,111.88 |
How the 47010 rate is calculated
Each of 47010’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 · 47010
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work18.92
18.92 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense10.44
10.44 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice4.86
4.86 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
34.2200
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$1,142.98
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 47010
47010 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 47010
Liver drainage, open, one or two stages
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are 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) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.09/0.81/0.10 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 47010
Liver drainage, open, one or two stages
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.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
47010 without 51 · national facility
$1,142.98
Liver drainage, open, one or two stages
47010-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$571.49
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%).
47010 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 47000Liver biopsyPercutaneous needle
- 47000 is for percutaneous needle sampling of the liver. This code is for open operative drainage of a hepatic abscess or cyst.
- 47001Liver biopsyDuring another major procedure
- 47001 describes a liver needle biopsy performed during another major procedure. It does not represent drainage of an abscess or cyst.
- 47015Liver cyst procedureLaparoscopic aspiration or injection
- 47015 represents laparoscopic aspiration or injection of a hepatic cavity or cyst; this code is for open drainage in one or two stages.
- 47100Liver biopsyWedge tissue sample
- 47100 is a wedge biopsy of liver tissue. Choose this code when the operative service is drainage of an abscess or cyst, rather than tissue sampling.
47010 billing questions
When should this code be chosen instead of 47015?
Use this code for open drainage of a hepatic abscess or cyst in one or two stages. Code 47015 describes laparoscopic aspiration or injection of a hepatic cavity or cyst.
Is a liver biopsy included in the drainage service?
The drainage service describes treatment of an abscess or cyst, not tissue sampling. A separately indicated biopsy may be reportable when performed and documented; code 47001 is used for needle biopsy during another major procedure.
Can modifier 50 be appended?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code because of its descriptor or anatomy.
What postoperative care is included?
The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care for 90 days.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?
Assistant-at-surgery payment may be allowed. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.
How are multiple procedures in the same session paid?
The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures in the same session are paid at 50% under the standard multiple-procedure reduction.
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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