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Billing code 44955: AppendectomyMedicare rate & RVUs

Report this add-on when a surgeon removes the appendix for a clinical indication while performing another major procedure, rather than as a separate operation.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities2.7K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $74.82 for 44955 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 44955

Appendectomy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
1.49
Total RVUs
2.24
Global days
ZZZ

National rate · 2026

$74.82

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 44955 → · 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.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 44955 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 44955 covers

This add-on describes removal of the appendix when it is clinically indicated during another major operation. For example, the surgeon may identify an appendix that requires treatment while operating for a separate abdominal condition. The surgeon performing the operation reports the appendectomy in addition to the code for the primary procedure; 44955 does not describe a standalone appendectomy.

The operative report should identify the primary operation, the appendectomy, and the clinical reason the appendix was removed. Report the code only when the circumstances support an indicated appendectomy during another major procedure, not simply because the appendix was encountered. CMS treats 44955 as an add-on: it is reported with a primary procedure and paid within that procedure's global period. The record should make clear that the appendectomy was performed during the same operative episode as the primary service.

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 44955 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

44955 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$67.97
Alaska*Unavailable$95.15
ArizonaUnavailable$72.68
ArkansasUnavailable$67.15
AtlantaUnavailable$77.59
AustinUnavailable$74.30
BakersfieldUnavailable$72.31
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$79.41
BeaumontUnavailable$72.79
BrazoriaUnavailable$72.45

44955 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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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
44955 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

How the 44955 rate is calculated

Each of 44955’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 · 44955

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 1.49Practice expense 0.39Malpractice 0.36

2.2400 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$74.82

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 44955

The CMS indicators that decide how 44955 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 44955

Appendectomy

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global periodZZZAdd-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period.
Multiple procedures0No multiple-procedure reduction.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
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.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 80 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

44955 without 80 · national facility

$74.82

Appendectomy

44955-80 · Assistant: 16%

$11.97

A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.

When to use modifier 80

44955 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

44955 vs 44950 vs 44960 vs 44970: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 44955
    Appendectomy · 1.49 wRVU
    —
  • 44950
    Appendectomy · 10.34 wRVU
    —
  • 44960
    Appendectomy · 14.14 wRVU
    —
  • 44970
    Appendectomy · 9.21 wRVU
    —

How to choose

44950Appendectomy
Use 44950 for appendectomy reported as the principal operation. Use 44955 when an indicated appendectomy is performed during another major procedure.
44960Appendectomy
44960 identifies appendectomy for a ruptured appendix with abscess or generalized peritonitis. Code 44955 instead distinguishes appendectomy performed during another major procedure.
44970Appendectomy
44970 describes laparoscopic appendectomy as the operation being reported. Code 44955 is an add-on for an indicated appendectomy performed during another major procedure.

Codes related to 44955

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

Codes related to 44955
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
44950AppendectomyAppendectomy reported as the principal operation rather than as an add-on during another major procedure.No office rate
44960AppendectomyAppendectomy code for a ruptured appendix with abscess or generalized peritonitis.No office rate
Used instead
44970AppendectomyLaparoscopic appendectomy when the appendectomy is the operation being reported.No office rate

44955 billing questions

When should 44955 be chosen instead of 44950?

Use 44955 when appendectomy is clinically indicated during another major procedure. Use 44950 when appendectomy is reported as the principal operation.

What primary code should accompany 44955?

Report the code for the other major procedure performed during the same operative episode. The operative report should support both the primary operation and the indicated appendectomy.

Can 44955 be billed by itself?

No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with the primary procedure; CMS pays it within that procedure's global period.

What documentation supports reporting 44955?

Document the primary operation, removal of the appendix, and the clinical reason appendectomy was indicated during that operation.

Is 44955 appropriate for a ruptured appendix with generalized peritonitis?

The clinical circumstances and whether appendectomy is performed as the principal operation determine code selection. Code 44960 describes appendectomy for a ruptured appendix with abscess or generalized peritonitis.

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 44955PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,455 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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