CPT code 51820: Outlet reconstruction, complicated plastic repair2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Puerto Rico

Complex reconstructive surgery of the urethra or bladder neck, reported when operative repair goes beyond a straightforward revision of these structures.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026One payment locality

In Puerto Rico, Medicare pays $976.53 for 51820 in a facility. There’s no office rate.

Not available in this settingOffice (non-facility)
$976.53Hospital or facility

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 51820 nationwide

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

We’ll open 51820 for the payment locality that covers the ZIP.

On this page 11 sections
  1. Rate in Puerto Rico
  2. What 51820 covers
  3. Compared with other areas
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Related codes
  8. Rate history
  9. Where it applies
  10. Billing questions
  11. Sources

What 51820 covers

A urologist performs this reconstructive operation to correct a complex abnormality involving the urethra or bladder neck. It may be used for congenital or acquired structural problems, including defects encountered after prior surgery. The surgeon reshapes or reconstructs the affected outlet anatomy in an operating room; this is distinct from simply closing a bladder wound or supporting pelvic organs for prolapse or incontinence.

Report the code when the operative work supports a complicated reconstructive repair, rather than the less complex related procedure. The operative note should identify the affected anatomy, the underlying problem, and the reconstructive work performed. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. The code is priced as bilateral, so modifier 50 does not increase payment. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; 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.

How Puerto Rico compares for 51820

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the facility rate for 51820 runs from $899.07 in Arkansas to $1,273.45 in Alaska. Puerto Rico pays $976.53. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

51820 in Puerto Rico vs other payment areas
  1. Puerto Rico · this page$976.53
  2. Los Angeles, CA · California$1,019.98+$43.45
  3. Washington, DC area · District of Columbia$1,064.05+$87.52
  4. Miami, FL · Florida$1,111.55+$135.02
  5. Chicago, IL · Illinois$1,087.55+$111.02
  6. Manhattan, NY · New York$1,105.38+$128.85
  7. Alaska · Alaska$1,273.45+$296.92

Other areas in Puerto Rico first, then benchmark localities. Bars start at $0.

Every other payment area

51820 in every other Medicare payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaAlabama—$907.35
ArkansasArkansas—$899.07
ArizonaArizona—$955.20
Bakersfield, CACalifornia—$979.27
Chico, CACalifornia—$971.97
El Centro, CACalifornia—$972.38
Fresno, CACalifornia—$971.97
Hanford, CACalifornia—$971.97

51820 rates by state

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

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Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
51820 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

See 51820 in every payment locality

How the 51820 rate is calculated

Each of 51820’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 · 51820

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Office or facility?

Work19.10

19.10 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Practice expense7.62

7.62 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Malpractice2.47

2.47 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI

Adjusted RVUs

29.1900

Conversion factor

$33.4009

Medicare rate

$974.97

Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

The exact Puerto Rico inputs and CMS source lines

PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv

6,089

Code
51820
Physician work
19.10
Practice expense
7.62
Malpractice
2.47

GPCI2026.csv

91

Locality
Puerto Rico
Physician work
1.000
Practice expense
1.011
Malpractice
0.985
Facility calculation for 51820 in Puerto Rico
ComponentRVULocality factorAdjusted
Physician work19.10× 1.00019.1000
Practice expense7.62× 1.0117.7038
Malpractice2.47× 0.9852.4329
Total RVUs29.2368
Conversion factor× 33.4009

Facility rate, Puerto Rico$976.53

Facility: (19.1 × 1 + 7.62 × 1.011 + 2.47 × 0.985) × $33.4009 = $976.53

Open 51820 in the RVU calculator

Payment rules and modifiers for 51820

51820 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 51820

Outlet reconstruction, complicated plastic repair

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)2Already bilateral by definition: paid once at 100%.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.
Split (54/55/56)0.08/0.83/0.09Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 51820

Outlet reconstruction, complicated plastic repair

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.

  • 24Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

51820 without 51 · national facility

$974.97

Outlet reconstruction, complicated plastic repair

51820-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$487.49

When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).

When to use modifier 51

How 51820 has changed in Puerto Rico

51820 · Office / nonfacility

Rate unavailable

Effective 2026-10-01

A rate is unavailable in one of these releases, so a change cannot be calculated.

Base rate by release · bars start at $0 · select a bar to compare

One bar per available release, ordered by effective date. Missing rates remain gaps. These comparisons hold the code, setting and locality identifiers constant; they do not isolate which policy or input caused a change.

What changed, release by release
Rates in every CMS release
Effective fromOfficeFacilityCMS release
2026-10-01Not available in this setting$976.53RVU26D
2026-07-01Not available in this setting$976.53RVU26C
2026-04-01Not available in this setting$976.53RVU26B
2026-01-01Not available in this setting$976.53RVU26A
2025-10-01Not available in this setting$1,053.25RVU25D
2025-07-01Not available in this setting$1,053.25RVU25C
2025-04-01Not available in this setting$1,053.25RVU25B
2025-01-01Not available in this setting$1,053.25RVU25A
2024-10-01Not available in this setting$1,076.50RVU24D
2024-07-01Not available in this setting$1,076.50RVU24C
2024-04-01Not available in this setting$1,076.50RVU24B
2024-03-09Not available in this setting$1,076.50RVU24AR
2024-01-01Not available in this setting$1,058.93RVU24A
2023-10-01Not available in this setting$1,084.15RVU23D
2023-07-01Not available in this setting$1,082.70RVU23C
2023-04-01Not available in this setting$1,082.70RVU23B
2023-01-01Not available in this setting$1,082.70RVU23A
2022-10-01Not available in this setting$1,098.60RVU22D
2022-07-01Not available in this setting$1,098.60RVU22C
2022-04-01Not available in this setting$1,098.60RVU22B
2022-01-01Not available in this setting$1,098.60RVU22A
2021-10-01Not available in this setting$1,104.59RVU21D
2021-07-01Not available in this setting$1,104.59RVU21C
2021-04-01Not available in this setting$1,104.59RVU21B
2021-01-01Not available in this setting$1,104.59RVU21A
2020-10-01Not available in this setting$1,131.38RVU20D
2020-07-01Not available in this setting$1,131.38RVU20C
2020-04-01Not available in this setting$1,131.38RVU20B
2020-01-01Not available in this setting$1,131.38RVU20A
2019-10-01Not available in this setting$1,132.19RVU19D
2019-07-01Not available in this setting$1,132.19RVU19C
2019-04-01Not available in this setting$1,132.19RVU19B
2019-01-01Not available in this setting$1,132.19RVU19A
2018-10-01Not available in this setting$1,132.05RVU18D
2018-07-01Not available in this setting$1,132.05RVU18C
2018-04-01Not available in this setting$1,132.05RVU18B
2018-01-01Not available in this setting$1,132.05RVU18AR1
2017-10-01Not available in this setting$1,115.49RVU17D
2017-07-01Not available in this setting$1,115.49RVU17C
2017-04-01Not available in this setting$1,115.49RVU17B
2017-01-01Not available in this setting$1,115.49RVU17A
2016-10-01Not available in this setting$971.76RVU16D
2016-07-01Not available in this setting$971.76RVU16C
2016-04-01Not available in this setting$971.76RVU16B
2016-01-01Not available in this setting$971.76RVU16A
2015-10-01Not available in this setting$1,026.26RVU15D
2015-07-01Not available in this setting$1,026.26RVU15C
2015-04-01Not available in this setting$1,021.15RVU15B
2015-01-01Not available in this setting$1,021.15RVU15A
2014-10-01Not available in this setting$949.88RVU14D
2014-07-01Not available in this setting$949.88RVU14C
2014-04-01Not available in this setting$949.88RVU14B
2014-01-01Not available in this setting$949.88RVU14A
2013-10-01Not available in this setting$908.35RVU13D
2013-07-01Not available in this setting$908.35RVU13C
2013-04-01Not available in this setting$908.35RVU13B
2013-01-01Not available in this setting$908.35RVU13AR

Price 51820 for an earlier date of service

Where the Puerto Rico rate applies

Puerto Rico is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 292 cities and communities in Puerto Rico. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

  • Aceitunas
  • Adjuntas
  • Aguada
  • Aguadilla
  • Aguas Buenas
  • Aguas Claras
  • Aguilita
  • Aibonito

Browse all communities in Puerto Rico

51820 billing questions

How does this differ from 51800?

51820 is for the complicated reconstructive service. Use 51800 for the less complex related urethral or bladder-neck reconstruction when the operative work supports that level.

Should modifier 50 be appended for bilateral work?

CMS prices this code as bilateral. Modifier 50 does not increase payment.

What postoperative care is included?

The 90-day global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care during the 90 days after surgery.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is not permitted.

How are other procedures in the same session paid?

The highest-valued procedure is paid in full, and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction.

What should the operative note establish?

Document the urethral or bladder-neck abnormality, the anatomy addressed, and the reconstructive steps that support a complicated repair.

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
RVUs for 51820PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 6,089 (RVU26D)
Geographic factors for Puerto RicoGPCI2026.csv, line 91 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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