CPT code 50860: Ureterostomy, ureter to skin2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Reports surgery that brings a ureter to the skin to create an external urinary drainage route instead of a bowel-based diversion.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 50860 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.
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On this page 9 sections
What 50860 covers
Code 50860 represents surgery that brings a ureter to the skin and creates an external route for urine drainage. A urologist typically performs the operation in a hospital operating room when the planned diversion directs urine through a cutaneous opening rather than through bowel or a reconstructed bladder. The operative report should establish that the ureter was implanted at the skin; this is not a code for implanting a ureter into bowel or replacing a ureter with bowel.
Report the service for the operation performed, with documentation identifying the ureter or ureters and the side or sides treated. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, which includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and others at 50%. Bilateral reporting with modifier 50 is paid at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery services 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.
Where 50860 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
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | Unavailable | $854.39 |
| Chico, CA | Unavailable | $848.06 |
| El Centro, CA | Unavailable | $848.42 |
| Fresno, CA | Unavailable | $848.06 |
| Hanford, CA | Unavailable | $848.06 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Unavailable | $889.94 |
| Madera, CA | Unavailable | $848.06 |
| Marin County, CA | Unavailable | $955.89 |
| Merced, CA | Unavailable | $848.06 |
| Modesto, CA | Unavailable | $848.06 |
| Napa, CA | Unavailable | $921.10 |
| Oxnard, CA | Unavailable | $879.56 |
| Redding, CA | Unavailable | $848.06 |
| Rest of California | Unavailable | $848.06 |
| Riverside, CA | Unavailable | $871.28 |
| Sacramento, CA | Unavailable | $873.56 |
| Salinas, CA | Unavailable | $869.88 |
| San Benito County, CA | Unavailable | $976.87 |
| San Diego, CA | Unavailable | $878.00 |
| San Francisco, CA | Unavailable | $953.46 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Unavailable | $857.64 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | Unavailable | $966.93 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | Unavailable | $876.80 |
| Santa Maria, CA | Unavailable | $869.77 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | Unavailable | $884.70 |
| Stockton, CA | Unavailable | $848.06 |
| Vallejo, CA | Unavailable | $917.60 |
| Visalia, CA | Unavailable | $848.06 |
| Yuba City, CA | Unavailable | $848.06 |
How the 50860 rate is calculated
Each of 50860’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.
How the rate is built · 50860
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work16.65
16.65 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense6.67
6.67 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice2.14
2.14 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
25.4600
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$850.39
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 50860
50860 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.
CMS payment indicators · 50860
Ureterostomy, ureter to skin
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 090 | Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included. |
| Multiple procedures | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 1 | Permitted with supporting documentation. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
| Split (54/55/56) | 0.08/0.83/0.09 | Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care. |
Global surgery period · 50860
Ureterostomy, ureter to skin
90-day global period ends
Dec 30, 2026
Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).
Visit on Oct 31, 2026
Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.
Pre-op dayGlobal period
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
50860 without 50 · national facility
$850.39
Ureterostomy, ureter to skin
50860-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$1,275.59
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
50860 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 50800Ureteral implantationInto bowel
- Use 50860 when the ureter is brought to the skin. Code 50800 concerns a ureter-to-bowel connection.
- 50815Urinary diversionUreterosigmoidostomy
- 50860 creates a cutaneous drainage route; 50815 describes urinary diversion to intestine.
- 50820Urinary diversionContinent intestinal reservoir
- Choose 50860 for implantation of a ureter at the skin, not a bowel-based urinary diversion.
- 50840Ureteral reconstructionBowel segment substitution
- 50860 brings the ureter to the skin. Code 50840 is for replacing a ureter with bowel.
50860 billing questions
How is 50860 different from implanting a ureter into bowel?
50860 is for bringing the ureter to the skin for external drainage. Code 50800 describes a bowel connection rather than a cutaneous outlet.
What operative documentation supports 50860?
The report should show that the surgeon brought and implanted the ureter at the skin. Document the side or sides treated and any other procedures performed in the session.
How is bilateral 50860 reported?
When the procedure is bilateral, report modifier 50; CMS pays the bilateral procedure at 150%.
Are related postoperative visits included?
Yes. The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.
Can an assistant or co-surgeon be paid?
Assistant-at-surgery services may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while team surgery is not permitted.
What happens when another procedure is performed in the same session?
Under the standard multiple procedure reduction, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are paid at 50%.
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
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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