CPT code 50825: Urinary diversion, continent bowel reservoir2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $1,464.30 for 50825 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 50825 covers

A urologist fashions a segment of bowel into a storage reservoir, connects the ureters to it, and creates a continent outlet that the patient can catheterize through an abdominal stoma. The operation is performed in an operating room and may be part of urinary reconstruction after bladder removal or for a severely impaired bladder. Unlike an incontinent conduit, this approach stores urine for scheduled emptying rather than draining continuously into an external appliance.

Report this code when the operation constructs the continent bowel reservoir; documentation should identify the reservoir and its urinary connections and outlet. The bowel work included in the diversion is not separately represented by this code. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. For multiple procedures in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be available; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this anatomy.

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 50825 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

50825 rates by state

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

How the 50825 rate is calculated

Each of 50825’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 50825

50825 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 51

50825 compared with similar codes

How to choose

50820Urinary diversionContinent intestinal reservoir

Choose 50825 when bowel is fashioned into a continent reservoir for catheterized emptying. Code 50820 describes an incontinent diversion, such as a conduit.

50845Bladder channelAppendix-based catheterizable route

Code 50845 creates an appendiceal catheterizable channel to the bladder. Code 50825 constructs a bowel reservoir as the urinary storage destination.

50815Urinary diversionUreterosigmoidostomy

Code 50815 represents a different urinary diversion using bowel. Select 50825 when the operative service constructs a continent bowel reservoir.

Codes related to 50825

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