CPT code 50220: Kidney removal, open, nonradical removal2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $963.28 for 50220 nationally in a facility.

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

What 50220 covers

A urologist typically performs this open operation to remove a diseased or nonfunctioning kidney, sometimes taking a short portion of the ureter with it. A common clinical situation is a chronically obstructed or infected kidney that is no longer functional. The code represents a nonradical nephrectomy; the operation may be performed in a hospital operating room and is distinct from partial kidney removal or a more extensive radical procedure.

Choose the code based on the operative approach and documented extent of removal. The operative report should identify the kidney and side, describe the open removal and any ureteral excision, and establish why the operation was performed and whether its extent was complex or radical. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When other procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and additional procedures at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while 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 50220 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

50220 rates by state

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

How the 50220 rate is calculated

Each of 50220’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 50220

50220 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

50220 compared with similar codes

How to choose

50225NephrectomyComplicated removal

50225 represents a complicated open nephrectomy. Select it only when the operative report supports the added complexity rather than a standard nonradical removal.

50230Radical nephrectomyOpen, with regional or caval work

50230 is for radical nephrectomy. The operative extent, not merely a diagnosis of kidney cancer, distinguishes it from nonradical removal.

50234Kidney and ureter removalSame-incision bladder cuff

50234 includes removal of the entire ureter with a bladder cuff through the same incision. This code allows for limited ureteral excision with kidney removal.

50240Kidney surgeryOpen partial resection

50240 is used when part of the kidney is removed and functioning renal tissue remains; this code represents complete kidney removal.

Codes related to 50220

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

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