CPT code 52281: Urethral dilation, cystoscopic stricture treatment2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in North Dakota

In North Dakota, Medicare pays $303.15 for 52281 in the office and $129.47 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 52281 nationwide

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

What 52281 covers

A urologist uses a cystoscope to evaluate a narrowed urethral segment and calibrate or widen it with suitable dilators. The procedure may also include a meatotomy when the narrowing involves the urethral opening. It is performed for urethral stricture or stenosis associated with symptoms such as impaired urinary flow, in an office or facility setting depending on the clinical circumstances and resources.

Report this code when the documented treatment is cystoscopic calibration or dilation of a urethral narrowing, whether or not meatotomy is performed. The record should identify the stricture or stenosis, its location when known, the treatment performed, and any meatotomy. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When related endoscopies are performed together, CMS applies endoscopy-family pricing. Report a single procedure rather than modifier 50; the descriptor and anatomy do not support bilateral reporting. 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.

How North Dakota compares for 52281

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 52281 runs from $275.03 in Arkansas to $406.83 in San Benito County, CA. North Dakota pays $303.15. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

52281 rates by state

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

See 52281 in every payment locality

How the 52281 rate is calculated

Each of 52281’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 52281

The CMS indicators that decide how 52281 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

Codes related to 52281

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

How 52281 has changed in North Dakota

Price 52281 for an earlier date of service

Where the North Dakota rate applies

North Dakota is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 406 cities and communities in North Dakota. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Abercrombie
• Adams
• Alamo
• Alexander
• Alice
• Almont
• Alsen
• Ambrose

Browse all communities in North Dakota

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