CPT code 50593: Renal ablation, percutaneous cryotherapy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $3,506.43 for 50593 nationally in the office and $398.81 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $3,041.89–$4,931.49.

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

What 50593 covers

The physician places one or more cryotherapy probes through the skin into a renal tumor and uses freeze-thaw cycles to destroy the target. Imaging guides probe placement and treatment monitoring as part of the procedure. Urologists and interventional radiologists commonly perform this treatment in a hospital or ambulatory surgery setting for patients with a renal mass selected for percutaneous ablation. A biopsy performed as part of the ablation is included in the service.

Report the code for the percutaneous cryotherapy approach, not for laparoscopic ablation or surgical removal of renal tissue. The operative report should support the treated kidney, tumor target, percutaneous access, cryotherapy, and imaging-guided treatment. The procedure has a 10-day global period, which includes related postoperative visits during that period. For bilateral treatment, modifier 50 is paid at 150%. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others at 50%. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeons and team surgery are 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 50593 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

50593 rates by state

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

How the 50593 rate is calculated

Each of 50593’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 50593

50593 has a 10-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

50593 compared with similar codes

How to choose

50592Renal tumor ablationPercutaneous radiofrequency

Choose 50593 when the renal tumor is treated percutaneously with cryotherapy; 50592 is for percutaneous radiofrequency ablation.

50542Renal mass ablationLaparoscopic approach

50542 describes laparoscopic ablation of a renal mass. This code is for percutaneous cryotherapy.

50543Partial nephrectomyLaparoscopic approach

50543 is laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, involving removal of renal tissue. This code describes percutaneous tumor destruction by freezing.

50545Radical nephrectomyLaparoscopic approach

50545 describes laparoscopic removal of the kidney. This code treats the renal tumor percutaneously without that approach.

Codes related to 50593

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