CPT code 50945: Ureterolithotomy, laparoscopic approach2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $867.09 for 50945 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 50945 covers

A urologist uses laparoscopic access to expose the ureter, open it, and remove a stone directly. This approach is used for ureteral calculi when the operative plan is surgical extraction through the ureter wall rather than treatment from inside the urinary tract with a ureteroscope. The service is generally performed in a hospital or other facility operating room; the operative report should establish the laparoscopic approach and document the ureterotomy and stone removal.

Report this code for the laparoscopic ureterolithotomy, not for ureteroscopic stone treatment. The major-surgery global period 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 other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 applies to bilateral procedures, 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 50945 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

50945 rates by state

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

How the 50945 rate is calculated

Each of 50945’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 50945

50945 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

50945 compared with similar codes

How to choose

52352UreteroscopyStone removal or manipulation

Use 50945 for laparoscopic surgical extraction through an opening in the ureter. Use 52352 when the stone is removed or manipulated through a ureteroscope.

52356Ureteroscopic lithotripsyWith ureteral stent

52356 describes ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy with stent placement. It is not the laparoscopic ureterotomy and direct extraction represented by 50945.

50949Laparoscopic ureter surgeryUnlisted procedure

50949 is an unlisted laparoscopic ureter procedure. Use 50945 when the documented service is specifically laparoscopic ureterolithotomy.

Codes related to 50945

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