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Billing code 47605: CholecystectomyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports open gallbladder removal with intraoperative cholangiography, commonly performed to assess the bile ducts during surgery for gallbladder disease.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities689 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,061.48 for 47605 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 47605

Cholecystectomy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
18.02
Total RVUs
31.78
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,061.48

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 47605 → · 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 47605 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 47605 covers

A surgeon uses this code for open removal of the gallbladder combined with intraoperative cholangiography, in which contrast is introduced into the biliary system and images are obtained to assess the ducts. It is commonly performed in a hospital operating room for gallbladder disease, including when the surgeon wants to evaluate the bile ducts during the operation.

Report 47605 when the operative service includes both open cholecystectomy and cholangiography; open removal without cholangiography is represented by a different code. The operative report should support the approach, gallbladder removal, and performance of the cholangiographic study. CMS assigns a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and related postoperative care for 90 days. 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% reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this single-organ procedure.

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 47605 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

47605 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$955.94
Alaska*Unavailable$1,312.29
ArizonaUnavailable$1,029.64
ArkansasUnavailable$943.13
AtlantaUnavailable$1,099.43
AustinUnavailable$1,062.57
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,041.24
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,130.19
BeaumontUnavailable$1,023.07
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,029.32

47605 rates by state

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

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Explore a state

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
47605 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 47605 rate is calculated

Each of 47605’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 · 47605

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 18.02Practice expense 9.10Malpractice 4.66

31.7800 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,061.48

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 47605

47605 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 47605

Cholecystectomy

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period090Major surgery: the day before, the day of, and 90 days after are included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
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.
Split (54/55/56)0.09/0.81/0.10Share of the payment for pre-op, the procedure itself, and post-op care.

Global surgery period · 47605

Cholecystectomy

90-day global period ends

Dec 30, 2026

Covers Sep 30, 2026 through Dec 30, 2026 (92 days, including the day before surgery).

Visit on Oct 31, 2026

Day 30 of the 90-day post-op period: related follow-up care is included in the surgical payment.

  • 24 Unrelated E/M visit by the same physician
  • 79 Unrelated procedure (starts its own global period)
  • 58 Staged, more extensive, or therapy procedure that was planned
  • 78 Unplanned return to the operating room for a related complication
SurgeryVisit
Sep 23, 2026Jan 10, 2027

Pre-op dayGlobal period

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

47605 without 51 · national facility

$1,061.48

Cholecystectomy

47605-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$530.74

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%).

When to use modifier 51

47605 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

47605 vs 47600 vs 47563 vs 47562: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 47605
    Cholecystectomy · 18.02 wRVU
    —
  • 47600
    Gallbladder removal · 17.04 wRVU
    —
  • 47563
    Laparoscopic cholecystectomy · 11.18 wRVU
    —
  • 47562
    Laparoscopic cholecystectomy · 10.21 wRVU
    —

How to choose

47600Gallbladder removal
Both describe open gallbladder removal; 47605 includes intraoperative cholangiography, while 47600 is for removal without it.
47563Laparoscopic cholecystectomy
This code describes laparoscopic gallbladder removal with cholangiography. Use 47605 for the open approach with cholangiography.
47562Laparoscopic cholecystectomy
This code describes laparoscopic gallbladder removal without cholangiography; 47605 is open surgery and includes the study.

Codes related to 47605

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

Codes related to 47605
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
47600Gallbladder removalOpen gallbladder removal without the cholangiography included in 47605.No office rate
Used instead
47563Laparoscopic cholecystectomyLaparoscopic gallbladder removal with intraoperative cholangiography.No office rate
47562Laparoscopic cholecystectomyLaparoscopic gallbladder removal without intraoperative cholangiography.No office rate

47605 billing questions

How does 47605 differ from 47600?

47605 includes intraoperative cholangiography with open gallbladder removal. Use 47600 for open removal without the cholangiographic study.

Can 47605 be used for laparoscopic surgery?

No. For laparoscopic gallbladder removal with intraoperative cholangiography, the corresponding code is 47563.

What documentation supports reporting 47605?

The operative report should identify the open approach and document both gallbladder removal and the intraoperative cholangiographic study.

Does the 90-day global period include postoperative care?

Yes. The global period includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care.

How are other procedures in the same session paid?

CMS pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard 50% multiple-procedure reduction to the others.

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation; team surgery is 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
RVUs for 47605PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,709 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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