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Billing code 48155: PancreatectomyMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical removal of the entire pancreas for disease requiring total gland resection, rather than a limited lesion excision or partial pancreatectomy.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities150 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $1,711.46 for 48155 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 48155

Pancreatectomy

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
28.71
Total RVUs
51.24
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$1,711.46

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 48155 → · 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 48155 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 48155 covers

Code 48155 represents removal of the entire pancreas, rather than excision of a focal lesion or resection of only part of the gland. An HPB or general surgeon typically performs this major abdominal operation in a hospital for disease requiring removal of the whole pancreas, such as diffuse pancreatic neoplasia or otherwise extensive pancreatic disease. The operative report should establish that the resection was total.

Report the procedure based on the extent documented in the operative note; a partial resection or limited lesion excision belongs to a different procedure code. The 90-day global package includes the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and applies the standard multiple-procedure reduction to the others. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be made. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, while team surgery is not permitted. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this 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 48155 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

48155 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$1,542.16
Alaska*Unavailable$2,114.69
ArizonaUnavailable$1,660.62
ArkansasUnavailable$1,521.60
AtlantaUnavailable$1,771.43
AustinUnavailable$1,715.15
BakersfieldUnavailable$1,683.34
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$1,821.67
BeaumontUnavailable$1,648.36
BrazoriaUnavailable$1,660.98

48155 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.

View every state and territory as a table
48155 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 48155 rate is calculated

Each of 48155’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 · 48155

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 28.71Practice expense 15.24Malpractice 7.29

51.2400 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$1,711.46

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 48155

48155 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 48155

Pancreatectomy

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 · 48155

Pancreatectomy

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

48155 without 51 · national facility

$1,711.46

Pancreatectomy

48155-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$855.73

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

48155 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

48155 vs 48140 vs 48145 vs 48160 vs 48120: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 48155
    Pancreatectomy · 28.71 wRVU
    —
  • 48140
    Pancreas resection · 25.66 wRVU
    —
  • 48145
    Pancreatectomy · 26.71 wRVU
    —
  • 48160
    · 0 wRVU
    —
  • 48120
    Pancreatic lesion excision · 17.95 wRVU
    —

How to choose

48140Pancreas resection
48140 describes partial distal pancreatectomy without pancreaticojejunostomy. Choose 48155 only when the operative report documents removal of the entire pancreas.
48145Pancreatectomy
48145 describes partial distal pancreatectomy with pancreaticojejunostomy. It is not the code for a total pancreatectomy.
48160Pancreas removal/transplant
48160 includes autologous transplantation of pancreatic tissue or islet cells with the pancreatectomy; 48155 describes total pancreatic removal without that transplant service.
48120Pancreatic lesion excision
48120 is for excision of a pancreatic lesion, not removal of the entire gland. Base selection on the documented extent of resection.

Codes related to 48155

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

Codes related to 48155
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
48140Pancreas resectionPartial distal pancreatectomy without pancreaticojejunostomy; selected when the resection is not total.No office rate
48145PancreatectomyPartial distal pancreatectomy with pancreaticojejunostomy; describes a partial rather than total resection.No office rate
48150Whipple procedureProximal partial pancreatectomy; differs from removal of the entire pancreas.No office rate
Used instead
48160Pancreas removal/transplantPancreatectomy with autologous pancreatic or islet-cell transplantation.No office rate
48120Pancreatic lesion excisionExcision of a pancreatic lesion when the operation removes a localized lesion rather than the whole gland.No office rate

48155 billing questions

How does 48155 differ from a partial pancreatectomy code?

Use 48155 when the operative report documents removal of the entire pancreas. Codes for partial pancreatectomy describe removal of only a portion of the gland.

Can a focal pancreatic lesion excision be reported as 48155?

No. A limited lesion excision, such as removal of a localized pancreatic lesion, is distinct from removal of the entire gland.

What postoperative care is included in the global period?

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

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.

Should modifier 50 be appended?

No. The bilateral adjustment does not apply, and modifier 50 is inappropriate for this procedure.

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 48155PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,745 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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