CPT code 49521: Inguinal hernia repair, recurrent, incarcerated or strangulated2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Connecticut

In Connecticut, Medicare pays $729.47 for 49521 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 49521 nationwide

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 49521 covers

This code represents operative repair of an inguinal hernia that has recurred after an earlier repair and is incarcerated or strangulated. Incarceration means the hernia contents are trapped and cannot be returned; strangulation involves compromised blood supply. A surgeon releases the trapped contents as needed and repairs the recurrent defect. General surgeons commonly perform the operation in a hospital or ambulatory surgery setting.

Report this code when the operative record supports both a prior inguinal hernia repair and incarceration or strangulation at the current operation. The day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care are included in the major-surgery global period. For bilateral repair, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; 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.

How Connecticut compares for 49521

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 49521 runs from $607.61 in Arkansas to $842.94 in Miami, FL. Connecticut pays $729.47. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

49521 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

See 49521 in every payment locality

How the 49521 rate is calculated

Each of 49521’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 49521

49521 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 50

Codes related to 49521

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

How 49521 has changed in Connecticut

Price 49521 for an earlier date of service

Where the Connecticut rate applies

Connecticut is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 215 cities and communities in Connecticut. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Ansonia
• Ball Pond
• Baltic
• Bantam
• Bethel
• Bethlehem Village
• Bigelow Corners
• Blue Hills

Browse all communities in Connecticut

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates