CPT code 50225: Nephrectomy, complicated removal2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 50225 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.

What 50225 covers

This code describes a complex nephrectomy, including partial ureter removal when performed as part of the kidney removal. It is used when prior surgery, radiotherapy, or infection complicates the operation; examples include dense operative scarring or an infected kidney. Urologists typically perform the procedure in a hospital operating room. The operative report should identify the complicating condition and explain how it affected the dissection or removal, rather than relying on the diagnosis alone.

Select this code for the complex removal rather than routine nephrectomy when the documented circumstances support the added complexity. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other 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, 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 50225 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

How the 50225 rate is calculated

Each of 50225’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 50225

50225 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

50225 compared with similar codes

How to choose

50220Kidney removalOpen, nonradical removal

50220 describes nephrectomy without the complicating circumstances specified for 50225. Choose 50225 when prior surgery, radiotherapy, or infection makes the operation complex and the operative report supports that distinction.

50230Radical nephrectomyOpen, with regional or caval work

50230 describes radical nephrectomy with regional lymphadenectomy. It is selected for that operative extent, rather than for complexity alone.

50234Kidney and ureter removalSame-incision bladder cuff

50234 is for removal of the kidney and ureter through the same incision. Use 50225 for complex nephrectomy when the operative service is not that more extensive kidney-and-ureter removal.

50240Kidney surgeryOpen partial resection

50240 describes partial nephrectomy, preserving part of the kidney. Code 50225 represents complex removal of the kidney.

Codes related to 50225

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