CPT code 52320: Ureteral stone removal, without stone fragmentation2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California
Cystoscopic ureteral stone extraction reports endoscopic removal of a ureteral calculus through cystoscopic access when the stone is retrieved without fragmentation.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 52320 in California.
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 52320 covers
A urologist uses a cystoscope to access the bladder and ureteral opening, then passes instruments through the scope to retrieve a ureteral calculus. The service includes ureteral catheterization and is generally selected when the stone is removed intact with an extraction instrument, such as a basket, rather than broken apart. It is performed in an operating room or another setting equipped for endoscopic urologic treatment.
The operative note should identify the ureteral stone and document its retrieval, the approach, and whether fragmentation was performed. Report a code for fragmentation when the calculus is broken up, and distinguish this service from removal of a stone located in the bladder. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. Endoscopy family pricing applies when related endoscopies are performed together. For bilateral treatment reported with modifier 50, CMS pays at 150%. Assistant-at-surgery payment is statutorily restricted; 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 52320 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 of 29 payment localities
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | Unavailable | $216.03 |
| Chico, CA | Unavailable | $214.31 |
| El Centro, CA | Unavailable | $214.41 |
| Fresno, CA | Unavailable | $214.31 |
| Hanford, CA | Unavailable | $214.31 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Unavailable | $224.32 |
| Madera, CA | Unavailable | $214.31 |
| Marin County, CA | Unavailable | $238.67 |
| Merced, CA | Unavailable | $214.31 |
| Modesto, CA | Unavailable | $214.31 |
| Napa, CA | Unavailable | $230.65 |
| Oxnard, CA | Unavailable | $221.49 |
| Redding, CA | Unavailable | $214.31 |
| Rest of California | Unavailable | $214.31 |
| Riverside, CA | Unavailable | $220.60 |
| Sacramento, CA | Unavailable | $220.19 |
| Salinas, CA | Unavailable | $219.24 |
| San Benito County, CA | Unavailable | $243.87 |
| San Diego, CA | Unavailable | $220.85 |
| San Francisco, CA | Unavailable | $238.01 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Unavailable | $216.22 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | Unavailable | $241.18 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | Unavailable | $220.21 |
| Santa Maria, CA | Unavailable | $219.10 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | Unavailable | $222.16 |
| Stockton, CA | Unavailable | $214.31 |
| Vallejo, CA | Unavailable | $229.70 |
| Visalia, CA | Unavailable | $214.31 |
| Yuba City, CA | Unavailable | $214.31 |
How the 52320 rate is calculated
Each of 52320’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 · 52320
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work4.57
4.57 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.33
1.33 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.58
0.58 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
6.4800
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$216.44
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 52320
The CMS indicators that decide how 52320 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 52320
Ureteral stone removal, without stone fragmentation
| 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) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| 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 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
52320 without 50 · national facility
$216.44
Ureteral stone removal, without stone fragmentation
52320-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$324.66
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
52320 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
5 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 52325Stone fragmentationUltrasonic lithotripsy
- 52320 is for extraction without fragmentation; 52325 applies when the ureteral calculus is fragmented.
- 52330Stone manipulationWithout stone removal
- 52320 includes removal of the ureteral calculus. Choose 52330 when the calculus is manipulated but left in place.
- 52352UreteroscopyStone removal or manipulation
- 52352 involves ureteroscopy or pyeloscopy for calculus treatment. This code describes removal through cystoscopic access without that ureteroscopic or pyeloscopic approach.
- 52310Cystoscopic removalSimple urethral or bladder removal
- 52310 concerns removal of a calculus or foreign body from the urethra or bladder; 52320 concerns a calculus in the ureter.
52320 billing questions
How does this differ from code 52325?
Use 52320 when the ureteral calculus is extracted without fragmentation. Code 52325 describes treatment in which the calculus is fragmented.
Can this code be reported for a bladder stone?
No. This code is for removal of a ureteral calculus. Bladder-stone removal is represented by a different code family.
How does this differ from code 52330?
Code 52320 represents removal of the ureteral calculus. Code 52330 is used for manipulation of a ureteral calculus without removal.
What documentation supports reporting this service?
Document the ureteral stone, the cystoscopic approach, and that the stone was retrieved. The note should make clear whether the stone was extracted intact or fragmented.
How is bilateral treatment reported?
When the procedure is performed bilaterally and reported with modifier 50, CMS pays at 150%.
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.
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