CPT code 47532: Cholangiography, existing access2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Massachusetts
Reports contrast injection through an established biliary access route to image the bile ducts, without creating new percutaneous access or placing a drain.
Medicare pays $842.89–$940.18 for 47532 in the office in Massachusetts, from Rest of Massachusetts to Metropolitan Boston, MA. 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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What 47532 covers
A physician injects contrast through an established route into the biliary system and obtains cholangiographic images. The route may be an existing biliary catheter or other established access. Interventional radiologists commonly perform this service in a hospital or outpatient procedural setting to assess duct anatomy, drainage, or a suspected obstruction. Fluoroscopy, when used, is part of the service.
Choose this code when imaging is performed through existing access, rather than by establishing new percutaneous access. The record should identify the access route, document the contrast injection and imaging, and include the clinical reason and findings. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the 0-day global service. When multiple procedures occur in one session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%. The biliary anatomy is not treated as a paired bilateral service, so modifier 50 is not appropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, and does not permit co-surgeon or team-surgery payment.
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 47532 pays more and less in Massachusetts
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Boston, MA | $940.18 | $192.02 |
| Rest of Massachusetts | $842.89 | $183.08 |
How the 47532 rate is calculated
Each of 47532’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 · 47532
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work4.14
4.14 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense19.60
19.60 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.49
0.49 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
24.2300
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$809.30
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 47532
The CMS indicators that decide how 47532 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 47532
Cholangiography, existing access
| 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
47532 without 51 · national office
$809.30
Cholangiography, existing access
47532-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$404.65
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%).
47532 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 47531CholangiogramThrough existing catheter
- Use 47532 for injection through established access. Use 47531 when percutaneous transhepatic access is involved in performing the cholangiogram.
- 47533Biliary drainageExternal catheter
- 47533 describes biliary drainage catheter placement, not an injection-only cholangiogram through existing access.
- 47536Biliary catheter exchangePercutaneous
- 47536 is for exchanging a biliary drainage catheter. Choose 47532 when the reported service is cholangiographic injection through existing access rather than catheter exchange.
47532 billing questions
How is 47532 different from 47531?
47532 is for cholangiographic injection through access that is already established. Use 47531 when the service involves percutaneous transhepatic access for the cholangiogram.
Is fluoroscopy separately reported?
Fluoroscopy, when performed as part of this injection service, is included. The documentation should support the contrast injection and resulting biliary imaging.
Can 47532 be reported for placing a biliary drain?
No. Drain placement is a different service; select the applicable placement code when a catheter is placed. This code describes imaging through existing access.
What should the record show to support 47532?
Document the pre-existing access route, contrast injection, cholangiographic imaging, clinical indication, and findings. The record should distinguish this work from new access or catheter placement.
Can modifier 50 be used for bilateral ducts?
No. The service is not treated as a paired bilateral procedure, and modifier 50 is inappropriate.
How does Medicare handle other procedures performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the other procedures to 50%. Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in this code's 0-day global period.
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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