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CPT code 47015: Liver cyst procedure, laparoscopic aspiration or injection2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Report laparoscopic aspiration of a hepatic cyst or injection for sclerosis when the surgeon treats the cyst through a laparoscopic approach.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities18 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,104.23 for 47015 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 47015

Liver cyst procedure, laparoscopic aspiration or injection

Office or facility?

Work RVUs
18.04
Total RVUs
33.06
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,104.23

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 47015 →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 47015 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 47015 covers

A surgeon uses laparoscopy to aspirate fluid from a hepatic cyst or inject it for sclerosis. This is an operative treatment of a liver cyst, typically performed in a hospital or surgical facility by a general or hepatobiliary surgeon. The laparoscopic approach distinguishes this service from open drainage and from needle biopsy of liver tissue.

Select the code when the operative report documents the laparoscopic approach and cyst aspiration or injection. The 90-day global period includes 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 50% multiple-procedure reduction. CMS may pay for an assistant at surgery; 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 47015 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

47015 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$991.78
AlaskaUnavailable$1,355.37
ArizonaUnavailable$1,070.49
ArkansasUnavailable$978.12
Atlanta, GAUnavailable$1,143.85
Austin, TXUnavailable$1,106.85
Bakersfield, CAUnavailable$1,085.44
Baltimore area, MDUnavailable$1,176.90
Beaumont, TXUnavailable$1,062.14
Brazoria, TXUnavailable$1,070.57

47015 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
47015 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 47015 rate is calculated

Each of 47015’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 · 47015

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work18.04

18.04 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense10.20

10.20 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice4.82

4.82 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

33.0600

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$1,104.23

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 47015

47015 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 47015

Liver cyst procedure, laparoscopic aspiration or injection

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 · 47015

Liver cyst procedure, laparoscopic aspiration or injection

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

47015 without 51 · national facility

$1,104.23

Liver cyst procedure, laparoscopic aspiration or injection

47015-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$552.12

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

47015 compared with similar codes

Compare codes · National

4 codes, side by side

Office or facility?

  • 47015

    Liver cyst procedure, laparoscopic aspiration or injection18.04 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 47000

    Liver biopsy, percutaneous needle1.61 wRVU

    $287.92

  • 47001

    Liver biopsy, during another major procedure1.85 wRVU

    Not priced

  • 47010

    Liver drainage, open, one or two stages18.92 wRVU

    Not priced

How to choose

47000Liver biopsyPercutaneous needle
This code describes percutaneous needle biopsy of liver tissue. Code 47015 is for laparoscopic treatment of a hepatic cyst, not tissue sampling.
47001Liver biopsyDuring another major procedure
Use 47001 for a liver needle biopsy performed with another major procedure. Code 47015 describes cyst aspiration or injection, not biopsy.
47010Liver drainageOpen, one or two stages
Use 47010 for open drainage of a hepatic abscess or cyst. Code 47015 describes laparoscopic aspiration or injection of a hepatic cyst.

Codes related to 47015

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

Codes related to 47015
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Used instead
47010Liver drainage, open, one or two stagesOpen drainage of a hepatic cyst or abscess uses a different surgical approach.No office rate
47379Laparoscopic liver surgery, unlisted procedureUnlisted laparoscopic liver procedure code for distinct services not described by a specific listed procedure.No office rate
Often billed with
47001Liver biopsy, during another major procedureDescribes a liver needle biopsy performed in conjunction with another major procedure when separately documented.No office rate

47015 billing questions

How does this differ from open drainage of a hepatic cyst?

This code describes laparoscopic cyst aspiration or injection. Open drainage is reported with 47010 when the surgeon treats the cyst through an open approach.

Can a liver needle biopsy be reported during the same operation?

Code 47001 describes a liver needle biopsy performed in conjunction with another major procedure. Report it only when a distinct biopsy is documented, rather than treating cyst aspiration or injection as a biopsy.

Which postoperative care is included?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

CMS may pay for an assistant at surgery. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

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 47015PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,647 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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