FeeBase
Log inGet started
Menu

Billing code 49010: Retroperitoneal explorationMedicare rate & RVUs

Report retroperitoneal exploration when a surgeon operative­ly evaluates the space behind the peritoneum, with biopsy included when performed.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities549 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $864.42 for 49010 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 49010

Retroperitoneal exploration

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
15.66
Total RVUs
25.88
Global days
090

National rate · 2026

$864.42

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 49010 → · 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 49010 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 49010 covers

This service involves surgically exposing and examining the retroperitoneal space, which lies behind the abdominal lining. A surgeon may use it to investigate suspected injury or bleeding, or to assess an abnormal mass or other finding in that space. Biopsy specimens taken during the exploration are part of the service. General, trauma, vascular, or urologic surgeons may perform it in an operating room, commonly in a hospital facility.

Report 49010 when the retroperitoneal survey is the operative service, rather than an incidental step in a more extensive procedure; the separate-procedure designation signals that distinction. The operative report should identify the retroperitoneal indication, the area examined, and any biopsy performed. The code has a 90-day global period, including the day-before preoperative visit and 90 days of related postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, the highest-valued is paid in full and others at 50%. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. An assistant at surgery may be paid; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is 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 49010 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

49010 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$781.70
Alaska*Unavailable$1,081.52
ArizonaUnavailable$839.19
ArkansasUnavailable$771.70
AtlantaUnavailable$895.42
AustinUnavailable$862.97
BakersfieldUnavailable$844.01
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$918.96
BeaumontUnavailable$836.16
BrazoriaUnavailable$838.18

49010 rates by state

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

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

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
49010 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 49010 rate is calculated

Each of 49010’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 · 49010

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 15.66Practice expense 6.34Malpractice 3.88

25.8800 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$864.42

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

Payment rules and modifiers for 49010

49010 has a 90-day global period: related visits in that window are included in the surgery payment.

CMS payment indicators · 49010

Retroperitoneal exploration

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 · 49010

Retroperitoneal exploration

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

49010 without 51 · national facility

$864.42

Retroperitoneal exploration

49010-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$432.21

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

49010 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

49010 vs 49000 vs 49002 vs 49060: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 49010
    Retroperitoneal exploration · 15.66 wRVU
    —
  • 49000
    Abdominal exploration · 12.23 wRVU
    —
  • 49002
    Abdominal reoperation · 17.19 wRVU
    —
  • 49060
    Abscess drainage · 18.07 wRVU
    —

How to choose

49000Abdominal exploration
49000 applies to exploration of the abdominal cavity. Choose 49010 when the surgeon explores the retroperitoneal space behind the peritoneum.
49002Abdominal reoperation
49002 describes reopening a prior abdominal incision. It is not the code for retroperitoneal exploration itself.
49060Abscess drainage
49060 is for open drainage of a retroperitoneal abscess. 49010 represents exploration, with biopsy included when performed, rather than abscess drainage.

Codes related to 49010

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

Codes related to 49010
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
49000Abdominal explorationExploration code for the abdominal cavity rather than the retroperitoneal space.No office rate
Used instead
49060Abscess drainageOpen drainage of a retroperitoneal abscess when drainage, rather than exploration, is performed.No office rate
49020Abscess drainageOpen drainage of an abdominal abscess when the target is intraperitoneal.No office rate

49010 billing questions

When should 49010 be used instead of 49000?

Use 49010 for exploration of the retroperitoneal space behind the peritoneum. Code 49000 describes exploration of the abdominal cavity, a different anatomic compartment.

Is a biopsy separately reported with 49010?

Biopsy performed as part of the retroperitoneal exploration is included in 49010. Document the site and findings, along with the biopsy, in the operative report.

Can 49010 be reported with another operation in the same session?

The separate-procedure designation means it is not separately reported when the exploration is integral to a more extensive procedure. If separately reportable procedures are performed in one session, CMS applies the standard multiple procedure reduction.

Should modifier 50 be used for right- and left-sided retroperitoneal work?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for this code; do not use modifier 50.

What postoperative care is included?

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

Can an assistant or co-surgeon be reported?

An assistant at surgery may be paid. Co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and 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 49010PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 5,763 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

Did this answer your question about what 49010 pays?

Tell us what you were actually trying to work out. We’ll answer you directly, or build the page that does.

Fee sheets

Put 49010 and the rest of your codes on one sheet

Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.

Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →