CPT code 53600: Urethral dilation, male, initial2026 Medicare rate & RVUs
Reports initial dilation of a male urethral stricture by passage of a sound or dilator to widen the narrowed urethral segment.
Medicare pays $91.18 for 53600 nationally in the office and $56.11 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $82.16–$113.86.
Medicare rate · 53600
Urethral dilation, male, initial
- Work RVUs
- 1.18
- Total RVUs
- 2.73
- Global days
- 000
National rate · 2026
$91.18
Office setting, before claim adjustments.
See every locality for 53600 →Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →
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 10 sections
What 53600 covers
A urologist typically reports this service when treating a male urethral stricture by passing a sound or urethral dilator through the narrowed segment to enlarge it. The procedure may be performed in an office or facility setting. The code identifies an initial dilation, rather than a later dilation in the same treatment course or a complicated initial service.
Documentation should establish the stricture, the patient’s sex, the initial nature of the dilation, and the instrumentation and treatment performed. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, 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 53600 pays more and less
The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.
109 payment localities
$82.16 to $113.86
109 of 109 payment localities
53600 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.
$82.16
$111.68
Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.
View every state and territory as a table
| State / territory | Office rate range | Localities |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $111.68 | 1 |
| AL | $83.16 | 1 |
| AR | $82.16 | 1 |
| AZ | $89.01 | 1 |
| CA | $94.02–$113.86 | 29 |
| CO | $93.55 | 1 |
| CT | $96.63 | 1 |
| DC | $102.20 | 1 |
| DE | $90.31 | 1 |
| FL | $91.65–$100.76 | 3 |
| GA | $87.10–$93.06 | 2 |
| GU | $95.48 | 1 |
| HI | $95.48 | 1 |
| IA | $84.19 | 1 |
| ID | $84.80 | 1 |
| IL | $89.94–$98.18 | 4 |
| IN | $85.20 | 1 |
| KS | $84.21 | 1 |
| KY | $85.57 | 1 |
| LA | $85.60–$89.11 | 2 |
| MA | $93.28–$101.32 | 2 |
| MD | $91.73–$102.20 | 3 |
| ME | $85.55–$88.91 | 2 |
| MI | $87.76–$92.98 | 2 |
| MN | $89.01 | 1 |
| MO | $84.60–$88.95 | 3 |
| MS | $83.38 | 1 |
| MT | $91.17 | 1 |
| NC | $86.24 | 1 |
| ND | $88.21 | 1 |
| NE | $84.47 | 1 |
| NH | $92.48 | 1 |
| NJ | $97.55–$101.49 | 2 |
| NM | $88.31 | 1 |
| NV | $90.39 | 1 |
| NY | $87.36–$106.84 | 5 |
| OH | $87.16 | 1 |
| OK | $85.06 | 1 |
| OR | $89.51–$95.72 | 2 |
| PA | $87.07–$94.78 | 2 |
| PR | $91.62 | 1 |
| RI | $92.94 | 1 |
| SC | $86.88 | 1 |
| SD | $87.86 | 1 |
| TN | $84.61 | 1 |
| TX | $86.62–$93.40 | 8 |
| UT | $87.87 | 1 |
| VA | $88.92–$102.20 | 2 |
| VI | $91.62 | 1 |
| VT | $88.24 | 1 |
| WA | $92.98–$102.85 | 2 |
| WI | $85.75 | 1 |
| WV | $87.22 | 1 |
| WY | $89.88 | 1 |
How the 53600 rate is calculated
Each of 53600’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 · 53600
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work1.18
1.18 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.40
1.40 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice0.15
0.15 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
2.7300
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$91.18
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 53600
The CMS indicators that decide how 53600 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 53600
Urethral dilation, male, initial
| 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 | 2 | Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%. |
| 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
53600 without 51 · national office
$91.18
Urethral dilation, male, initial
53600-51 · Second procedure: 50%
$45.59
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%).
53600 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 53601Urethral dilationMale, subsequent
- Use 53600 for the initial male stricture dilation; 53601 identifies a subsequent dilation.
- 53605Urethral dilationComplicated male stricture
- Both are initial male stricture dilation codes. 53605 is the complicated-service choice; 53600 is for a non-complicated initial service.
- 53620Urethral dilationFemale, initial
- 53620 is the initial stricture-dilation code for a female patient. Code 53600 is for a male patient.
53600 billing questions
When should 53600 be chosen instead of 53601?
Use 53600 for the initial male urethral stricture dilation in the treatment course. Code 53601 is for a subsequent dilation.
How does 53600 differ from 53605?
Both describe initial male urethral stricture dilation, but 53605 is for a complicated initial service. Use 53600 for the non-complicated initial service.
Can modifier 50 be reported?
No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; modifier 50 should not be used.
Is same-day evaluation or postoperative care separately included in the global period?
The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care.
Can an assistant surgeon or co-surgeon be billed?
Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery for this service, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.
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
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