CPT code 51720: Bladder instillation, antineoplastic agent2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $91.85 for 51720 nationally in the office and $38.08 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $81.64–$119.70.

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

What 51720 covers

A urologist or other qualified clinician places a catheter and delivers an antineoplastic agent into the bladder, commonly in an office or outpatient setting. Intravesical BCG and chemotherapy are typical treatments for bladder cancer, including treatment after tumor resection or for carcinoma in situ. The service covers the drug’s delivery and retention in the bladder; it is distinct from endoscopic biopsy, lesion destruction, or simple bladder irrigation.

Select 51720 for the therapeutic instillation, not for catheter placement alone. Document the agent and administration details, including the retention instructions when available. The drug may be reported separately with the applicable drug code; catheter placement integral to the instillation is not separately reported as 51701. The 0-day global includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing 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 51720 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

51720 rates by state

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

How the 51720 rate is calculated

Each of 51720’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 51720

The CMS indicators that decide how 51720 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

51720 compared with similar codes

How to choose

51700Bladder irrigationSimple lavage or instillation

51700 is bladder irrigation. Use 51720 when an antineoplastic agent is delivered for therapeutic intravesical treatment, rather than when the bladder is simply irrigated.

51701Bladder catheterizationIn-and-out catheter

51701 reports catheter insertion without the therapeutic bladder instillation. Catheter placement integral to the 51720 service is not separately reported as 51701.

52224Bladder lesion treatmentLesions under 0.5 cm

52224 is an endoscopic procedure to treat a small bladder lesion. 51720 is used for delivery of an intravesical antineoplastic agent, not endoscopic lesion treatment.

Codes related to 51720

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