CPT code 52310: Cystoscopic removal, simple urethral or bladder removal2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Reports simple cystoscopic removal of a foreign body, calculus, or ureteral stent located in the urethra or bladder.
Medicare pays $313.31–$389.31 for 52310 in the office in California, from Chico, CA to San Benito County, CA. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
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 52310 covers
A urologist typically performs this brief endoscopic service in an office, ambulatory surgery center, or hospital setting. Using a cystoscope, the physician removes a foreign body, small calculus, or ureteral stent from the urethra or bladder. A common use is removal of a ureteral stent that has reached the bladder. The service is limited to simple removal; a complicated removal belongs to the related higher-level code.
Choose the code from the documented site and complexity, and record the item removed and the work performed. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy family pricing affects payment. The bilateral adjustment is inappropriate for this service. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeons and team surgery 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 52310 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 payment localities
$313.31 to $389.31
29 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | $314.37 | $134.62 |
| Chico, CA | $313.31 | $133.56 |
| El Centro, CA | $313.37 | $133.62 |
| Fresno, CA | $313.31 | $133.56 |
| Hanford, CA | $313.31 | $133.56 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $334.01 | $140.00 |
| Madera, CA | $313.31 | $133.56 |
| Marin County, CA | $380.77 | $149.53 |
| Merced, CA | $313.31 | $133.56 |
| Modesto, CA | $313.31 | $133.56 |
| Napa, CA | $360.48 | $144.33 |
| Oxnard, CA | $332.13 | $138.29 |
| Redding, CA | $313.31 | $133.56 |
| Rest of California | $313.31 | $133.56 |
| Riverside, CA | $317.21 | $137.47 |
| Sacramento, CA | $328.11 | $137.38 |
| Salinas, CA | $326.88 | $136.80 |
| San Benito County, CA | $389.31 | $152.82 |
| San Diego, CA | $334.07 | $137.93 |
| San Francisco, CA | $380.36 | $149.12 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $321.69 | $134.90 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | $387.64 | $151.15 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $336.88 | $137.63 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $327.97 | $136.75 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $340.24 | $138.85 |
| Stockton, CA | $313.31 | $133.56 |
| Vallejo, CA | $359.89 | $143.74 |
| Visalia, CA | $313.31 | $133.56 |
| Yuba City, CA | $313.31 | $133.56 |
How the 52310 rate is calculated
Each of 52310’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 · 52310
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work2.74
2.74 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense5.84
5.84 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.36
0.36 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
8.9400
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$298.60
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 52310
The CMS indicators that decide how 52310 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 52310
Cystoscopic removal, simple urethral or bladder removal
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | 000 | Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included. |
| Multiple procedures | 3 | Endoscopy family rules apply. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 1 | Not paid (statutory restriction). |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 51 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
52310 without 51 · national office
$298.60
Cystoscopic removal, simple urethral or bladder removal
52310-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$149.30
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%).
52310 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 52315Cystoscopic removalComplicated extraction
- Both codes cover cystoscopic removal from the urethra or bladder; 52310 is for simple removal, while 52315 is for complicated removal.
- 52320Ureteral stone removalWithout stone fragmentation
- Use 52320 for endoscopic removal of a ureteral calculus. Use 52310 for simple removal of an item located in the urethra or bladder.
- 52317Bladder stone removalSmall or simple calculus
- 52317 covers transurethral bladder-stone treatment by cystolitholapaxy; 52310 is for simple removal of a bladder or urethral calculus.
- 52332Ureteral stentIndwelling stent placement
- 52332 covers placement of an indwelling ureteral stent. This code covers removal of an existing stent from the urethra or bladder.
52310 billing questions
When should 52315 be used instead?
Use 52315 when the removal is documented as complicated. This code describes simple removal from the urethra or bladder.
Can this code be used to remove a ureteral stone?
This code covers removal from the urethra or bladder. For a ureteral calculus removed endoscopically, compare the procedure with 52320 or the applicable ureteroscopic stone-removal code.
Does removal of a ureteral stent qualify?
Yes, when the stent is removed from the urethra or bladder by cystoscopy. Document the stent removal and the work performed.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. CMS identifies the bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code.
What postoperative care is included?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
How is payment affected when another related endoscopy is performed?
CMS endoscopy family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together, affecting payment for the combined session.
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
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