CPT 49013: Pelvic packingMedicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $410.16 for 49013 nationally in a facility.

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 49013 covers

This code describes operative packing through a preperitoneal approach to tamponade bleeding in the pelvis after trauma. A trauma or acute care surgeon typically performs it in the operating room for a patient with severe pelvic bleeding, often associated with an unstable pelvic fracture. The approach targets pelvic hemorrhage; it is distinct from opening the abdomen to investigate intra-abdominal injuries or from angiographic embolization.

Report the code when the documented procedure includes preperitoneal pelvic packing for traumatic hemorrhage. The operative report should support the traumatic indication, approach, and packing performed. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures are performed in one session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery, 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 49013 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

49013 rates by state

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

How the 49013 rate is calculated

Each of 49013’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.

Payment rules and modifiers for 49013

The CMS indicators that decide how 49013 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

49013 compared with similar codes

How to choose

49000Abdominal exploration

49000 is for operative abdominal exploration to assess intra-abdominal pathology. Choose 49013 for preperitoneal pelvic packing directed at traumatic pelvic hemorrhage.

49014Pelvic re-exploration

49014 describes re-exploration of a pelvic wound, including removal of packing when performed. It represents a subsequent operative stage rather than the initial packing.

37244Vascular embolization

37244 reports vascular embolization or occlusion for hemorrhage. It describes an endovascular approach, rather than operative preperitoneal pelvic packing.

Codes related to 49013

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

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

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates